The Puppetmaster's Game
by MockingClove
Summary: When the sun goes into hiding, the tributes shine in all their glory. From charming princes to wicked witches, they all roam free. One by one, they will all die until there's just one. Who escapes? Only you decide. The Puppetmaster is ready to pull their strings, but who shall die and who shall live happily ever after? This is the one-hundredth Hunger Games. (SYOT CLOSED)
1. Prologue

_"Primrose Everdeen", Effie booms out from the video recording. This was how the rebellion began. And it's also what helped end it. President Coriolanus Snow sits in his book filled office, watching various events from previous Games. The death of Katniss Everdeen, it happened by a bunch of berries. And it's what caused the second war. In his opinion, there was no reason for anyone to defy him or the Games. They were a work of art._

_Snow slowly flicks through the titles of more Games and he comes to a halt on the 75th Hunger Games. He skips right through to the end of the video to where the cameras cut off. It was when the rebels blasted through the arena power source and helped the pathetic tributes escape. They only wanted people to die. They only wanted another war to cause depression among saddened family members, grieving over the loss of their loved ones. But now, he's still in control._

_He stands up from his comfy sofa and walks over to a grey vault. He enters the multi-digit code and opens the vault, revealing an array of needles and medical equipment. Out he takes a syringe, and he stabs in into his right arm, his facial muscles clenching. Poor Coriolanus is dying, you see, and only the top medical equipment from the Capitol can save him. He's lived a long, intense life. He's weak, he hasn't got much longer before his body drops to the floor. He's determined to survive through one more year of the Games. Just once more, he wants to show that the Capitol is still in control._

_He staggers back over to his sofa and falls harshly back onto it, raising his feet onto his glass table in front. The 84th Hunger Games. He plays the tape and skips to the first minute where the District 2 female tribute ferociously licked the blood of her fallen victim off the ground of the castle arena. It was an instant classic among the citizens of the Capitol. Everyone had stopped talking about the deaths that had happened only five minutes ago and started talking about the blood licking again. You see, you need something shocking and unexpected to make it a memorable year. That's what Snow wanted for his last year. He wanted to go out with a bang while still showing that he's in control. The thought bounced around his head that he was going to be dead soon, but his thoughts abruptly came to a stop by the interruption of the screaming crowd outside._

_"President Coriolanus Snow, please make your way to the balcony door", a voice over a speaker calls out. Snow slowly stands up and turns the channel on his TV to the Capitol TV channel. Everyone on the screen is screaming and shouting, there's now an interview with a citizen of the Capitol. "Now, Flantivus, what do you think will be this year's Quarter Quell twist?", the flamboyant interviewer asks. But poor old Flantvius doesn't get a chance to answer, instead, the booming sounds of the Captiol anthem plays out around every corner. _

_Coriolanus pushes the doors open, breathes in, and walks out onto the marble balcony, over to the microphone stand. He steps up and looks out over the massive crowds of civilians screaming his name. "Citizens of Panem". Now the screaming has lowered. Everyone is listening carefully, ready to analyze every word he says that may lead them to what this year's arena theme._

_"Today, marks the day that the 100th Hunger Games, the 4th Quarter Quell, twist is revealed."_

_He is sweating mercilessly under his fifth layer of plastic skin. He looks down at his cue card._

_"To remember the fear inflicted among the innocent citizens of the Capitol, that they did not know what the outcome of the second rebellion would be, this year.."_

_You can hear a pin drop in the crowd._

_"..the twist shall not be revealed until it happens"._

* * *

**Hello! Welcome to my new SYOT that I'm doing! So, I'm going to start this whenever I get 24 tributes. Please fill out these forms and send them to me by PM. Please no Mary Sues or Gary Stus, I will not give them a place. I have a form for bloodbath victims too considering there will be a bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Please fill out the bloodbath form also if you have time, or else some of your precious regular tributes will have to be sent to the bloodbath. This will work on a first come first serve basis so send these in quick if you really want a District. I will put the taken places for the Districts on my profile and on this page and I will also put the Tribute Information on my profile too. Hope you sign up and enjoy the crazy story that I'm almost finished planning! There will be lots of twists and turns to keep everyone reading! I'm not doing every tribute's POV for every section of the story, especially the bloodbath victims. Please do not get angry if your tribute dies or if they die pretty early, or if they have a bad death. And please make your tribute forms detailed, especially the personality sections on the list. Also please check out my other story, "The 74th Career Games". Okay, byeee! :)**

**Tribute:**

Name/Age/District:

Appearance:

Personality (Bloodthirsty, shy, murderous etc):

Family/Friends:

Reaped or Volunteered:

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Fears/Phobias:

Training Session Skill:

Training Session Score (1-12):

Parade Outfit:

Interview Outfit:

Nervous or Excited for the Games:

Going Solo or Ally:

Confidence (1-10):

Going for the Cornucopia or Fleeing:

Mentally Strong, Physically Strong or Both:

In Favour of the Capitol or the Rebels:

Likes or Dislikes Mentors/Stylists etc:

**Bloodbath:**

Name/District/Age:

Appearance:

Personality:

Training Session Skill:

Training Session Score:

**District List:**

D1 Male: Ole Beyon/18/SeungriPanda98

D1 Female: Glamour Twinkle/17/Vhagor

D2 Male: Kaiser Darius/17/ThatDamnScottishGuy

D2 Female: Sasha Henlin/15/Kkfanatic22

D3 Male: Daniel Arthurness/12/Heroboy2004

D3 Female: Lucy Voltzer/16/Heroboy2004

D4 Male: Dathan Lynn/17/AsgardianGrizzly

D4 Female: Eden O'Shea/17/Queen Of Colours

D5 Male: Tranthan Aileys/16/Kkfanatic22

D5 Female Erenis Gader/15/AsgardianGrizzly

D6 Male: Axel Rails/17/Vhagor

D6 Female: Flannery Parsons/13/We're All Okay

D7 Male: Jean Evens/15/SeungriPanda98

D7 Female: Retta Coppen/17/witches always return

D8 Male: Volt Ford/15/DaughterofApollo7

D8 Female: Sarah Harrington/17/DaughterofApollo

D9 Male: Barley Harvest /15/AsgardianGrizzly

D9 Female: Mazie Rice/16/AsgardianGrizzly

D10 Male: Roscoe Tarpan/17/Alecxias

D10 Female: Madeline "Maddie" Juno/15/DaughterofApollo7

D11 Male: Casper Jarmine/17/gorrillaface345

D11 Female: Helena Wren/14/Alecxias

D12 Male: Ash Slate/16/AsgardianGrizzly

D12 Female: Charm Horton/13/Vhagor


	2. PART I, The Puppets: District 1 Reaping

**I hope you all enjoy the prologue! Also, I can't write the first chapter without all the tributes so please go and fill out another form. I don't mind if it's a bloodbath because I've got enough regular tributes. Thank you all, byeee!**

* * *

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18**

I step out from the bathroom after my hot shower, and I'm immediately greeted by my mother. "Ole", she tenderly whispers. "We need to get going". She's right, the Reaping should be starting soon.

"Winter", I say. She is more alert now. I don't really call her by her name, it's always just "Mom" or "Mother". "This is no time to start acting goofy, we need to start leaving now", she interrupts.

She leads me down our marble staircase and straight into the living room. Glase, our butler, is standing on the bear skin carpet, waiting patiently with our jackets. "Good luck, brave one", he says. I take my jacket off from his shoulder. "Even if it is your time today, which it most likely isn't, you'll do amazing in the arena". He's telling the truth, I could do amazing in the arena. The only reason I believe him is because he's a victor.

I'm not sure what year he won, but I do know that he's extremely fit and powerful. We started at a young age, he began to train me down in the gym in our basement. He thought me how to attack using various weapons and how to do different activities like climbing or swimming. We started every morning at six-thirty to eight, pushing on and on relentlessly. He did do a good job to me, he gave me a six pack and some nice muscles. His reason behind all this training was just in case I got reaped. Well, this is my last year to be reaped. If I don't get picked this year, will he lay back on the training?

He pats me on the back and I wave him a goodbye as Winter and I walk out the door. I look up at the mansion thinking that this could be my last time seeing it. It's a small chance though. I'm not going to volunteer, I don't know why anybody would. I suppose I'm not your typical Career tribute as I don't want to be in the Games, but if I do get reaped, I'm certain someone else will volunteer.

We make our way across the busy streets until we make it to the town square. The place is full to the brim. There are little kids, too young to be in the Games, running around screaming while there are elderly adults prepping their sons and daughters in case they get reaped.

"Ole, meet up with me at the butchers, okay?", my mother says. I nod my head and go in for a hug. I take in every bit of her presence, knowing that I could never see her again. It's an extremely low chance, but it's still possible.

"Attention! Everyone, please make your way to the Reaping now!". I'm startled at the loud voice that booms out of every tree and lamp post in the city. The Reaping is about to begin.

My mother pushes my long black hair to one side, trying to cover my one scar on my face. With one last kiss on the cheek, my mother disappears into the seating area for the adults.

I make my way into the rapidly moving queue and wait around until I reach the top. "Arm", a blank woman demands, showing no personality or emotions. I raise my arm and she fiercely pulls it closer and injects a syringe into my finger. "You said arm, not finger", I say to her. She stares into my eyes and I see that she has no iris, just two black pupils. She almost looks like some sort of odd Capitol robot. "Next".

I stand at the end of the crowd of teen boys, making myself the first to get out when the Reaping's done. Everyone is big and buff, almost bigger than me. One of them must volunteer if I get picked. I let my eyes wander around to search for my mother, but there's no hope. Once again, I'm startled by the loud voice of a deep man on the stage. "Welcome, everyone, to the District 1 Reaping!". Everyone claps with joy, adding a few whistles and shouts too.

"I, Hamborus Lottel, shall be reaping the male and female tributes!", the ecstatic man shouts. "Let me begin!", he screams, "Ladies first!".

Hamborus slowly walks out from behind the marble stand, revealing his huge pear shaped stomach. He looks like he's having a hard time walking to the glass bowl. His cotton candy textured orange jacket looks like it's about to burst open. He's halfway there when he stops and whispers for help. Then a man runs out onto the stage and holds his hand as he pulls him over to the bowl. The man flees from the stage just as Hamborus arrives at his destination.

"Now!", he pants as sweat runs down his forehead, "It is time!". The bowl is huge, there must be a lot of names in it. He dips his thick fingers into the massive bowl and immediately pulls out a slip. He's also having trouble opening the thin piece of folded paper. He finally lifts the flap up and reads out the name. "Velvet Chezary".

I spot Velvet rising from the corner of my eye, but a voice screams out, stopping her in her tracks. "I volunteer as tribute!".

* * *

**Glamour Twinkle/D1F/17:**

I scream the common phrase out again. "I volunteer as tribute!". Hamborus screams out in pleasure. "Ooh! A volunteer! Come on up sweetie!". I step out from the girls and walk up the stone path towards the stage. This is it! After years of hard training, I'm finally going to be a tribute! People are going to see me all over Panem, punishing people with death. This is going to be amazing.

I walk up onto the stage and look at the cheering crowd. "So what's your name, honey?", Hamborus asks. The stage fright kicks in a little, but I try my best to not show any fear. "Glamour Twinkle". The crowd screams with joy. "You sound just like a twinkling jewel! Precious!". I look at Hamborus and I almost puke at the sweat pouring from him. "Now it's time for the boys!".

Who shall be my partner in crime? Will he be tough? Handsome? Strong? Kind? Caring? I need to know!

The man who had just helped Hamborus hops onto the stage, once again, and begins to help him across to the male bowl. This is it..

The man disappears and leaves Hamborus on his own. He plucks out a card from the bowl, and this time he can open it. He reads the name aloud. "Ole Beyon".

* * *

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

What? No.. no! This can't be real, is this some sort of prank? Did Hamborus just call my name out? He did.. What are the odds? My name was only in there once, so how could it be picked out? The bowl was huge! I can't believe this.

"Ole? Where are you?!", Hamborus shrieks. I step out from the crowd and begin to walk forward towards the stage. Where's the screaming voices saying "I volunteer!"? They're nowhere to be found. I turn my head back at the crowd of teens and they seem to be cheering loudly. If they like the fact that I'm going to be a tribute, why don't they like it enough to volunteer? It happens every year apart from this year, the year that I'm reaped!

I slowly walk onto the stage and stand beside Hamborus nervously, hoping that someone will volunteer.

* * *

**Glamour Twinkle/D1F/17:**

Well, he's certainly different. Physically, he's on point. He's tall, large and muscular. It's not that bad to mention that he's kind of hot too. His rough, long black hair makes him look vicious. He's the perfect Career tribute, except one thing.. He's shaking relentlessly. "So!", Hamborus roars, "Say hello to your District 1 tributes!". The crowd of teens scream and shout. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!".

Hamborus walks on ahead of us, not giving us a second look. Ole and I stare at each other and he gives me a smile. I smile back.

Just as the Hamborus swings the doors of the Justice Building open, I hear a loud scream behind us approaching quickly. "Ole!"

* * *

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

I hear my mother screaming my name and I turn immediately to see her standing right in front of me. "Don't go!", she yells as she grabs onto my arm. I don't know how to react, but I don't have anytime to react, because two Peacekeepers sprint over to us and they grab her off of me and push her to the floor.

"Mother!", I scream as I'm pulled into the Justice Building by a group full of Peacekeepers. Their white helmets block my view, but I can vaguely see a whip being brought up and down fiercely.

The doors slam shut just as I see a gun being pulled from a Peacekeeper's pocket. I hear the gun shot which leaves the crowd screaming in fear, and leaves me facing the wooden door, fearing for the fate of my mother.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Please review, please fill out more forms and please read the first chapter when it goes up when I get all the tribute forms! Thanks, byeee! :)**


	3. District 2 Reaping

**Hello! Welcome to the District 2 Reaping! Hope you all enjoy, please review and give me your thoughts and feedback! Thank you all! :)**

* * *

_"__So," Caesar says, "this is your fifth year as the head Gamemaker". Sat there, opposite Caeser in his navy suit, is Fraux Hellex. His hair is pulled to the back of his head and he looks like he has gone through bad sessions of plastic surgery. His eyebrows are thin and sharp, almost like knives on his face. He forces his puff lips open. "Yes," he sprays saliva over Caeser, "t'is very exciting."_

_"And what do you think that you can bring to the Games that the previous Gamemaker's couldn't?", Caesar asks, leaning back more on his seat in case there's another shower of spray. Fraux pushes the his long black hair out of his eyes and over his plastic ears. He places a finger on his lips and ponders about the question. "Hmmm," he mummers, "let me see". He bounces up, "If I had to pick one, I'd have to say...". Caesar listens carefully. "...control."_

_"Control? What do you mean by that?" Caesar asks. "I can show that we control the tributes. The Puppetmaster controls the tributes". The crowd stands up and they cheer and scream. Fraux stands up and bows, "Thank you, thank you". His body is as slender as a pencil but his chest is rather big. "So, can you give us any hints on this year's arena?" Caesar asks as Fraux sits back down. "Come on folks, do you all want some hints?!". The crowd cheers at Caesars question. "Well," Fraux begins as he sprays another shower of saliva, "this is the point where I leave." He stands up and begins to walk off the stage, making a horrific cracking sound in his legs every step he takes._

_"Come back! The show's not over!", Caesar yells from across the stage. "I am not controlled, instead I control. There are no strings on me," Fraux shouts back as he vanishes behind the curtains back stage._

* * *

**Kaiser Darius/D2M/17:**

I sit on my expensive sofa watching the District 1 Reaping on TV. The brats are so lucky, they get to be in the Hunger Games after all! I take a sip of my parent's five hundred dollar wine that I found hidden away from me in the basement. Screw them. They left me here all alone while they went to the Capitol to go to parties , celebrating the countdown to the Games. I can't wait for them to finally realize that I'm going to be part of them.

"Attention! Everyone, please make your way to the Reaping now!" flashes across my TV screen. Already? Who cares, I'll bring my glass with me. I grab onto the wine bottle and smash it against the flat screen TV on the wall. It shatters into tiny pieces and it crashes onto the floor. Time to go.

I finish my glass of wine and I put on my leather jacket and leave the house without locking the door. This is going to be amazingly fun. Just imagine this; Kaiser Darius, victor of the 100th Hunger Games, written all over Panem. It would just be amazing. I'm certainly going to get some great kills in the Games, I just hope that there is going to be a diverse range of weapons to treat people with. What about a mallet? That would be awesome! Smashing someone to death with that would be sick! I just hope that the arena is good.

What if someone volunteers before me? That wont be good.. I have to say it as quick as possible or else I'll miss my chance! I can't let this be the sixth year that someone beats me to it! I need to get into those Games.

* * *

**Sasha Henlin/D2F/15:**

"Layla, want a ride?" I shout out the window of the car. My best friend Layla shouts back "Yeah!" and I let her into the back. "So, excited for the Reaping?" I ask her. She smiles at me, "Yes! Of course I am!". "Are you girls nervous?" my Mom asks from the front seat. "These two little devils? They certainly aren't!" my Dad jokes while he drives the car to the shopping square.

Today's the day that all my hard work pays off. I've been training in the Career Academy for years and I think I'm ready. Actually, I don't think I'm ready. I know I'm ready. People always think that the blonde girls in the Games are the stupid ones that die in the bloodbath, but I'm ready to prove that that's not the case at all. I'm great at fist fighting. I found out that I was great at it when I got into a fight with one of my friends, Kyle, at school. When I was in the Academy, my preferred skills were archery and sword fighting. I've diced hundreds of dummies up into little pieces in that Academy with a sword and I've probably shot thousands through the head. Everyone better back down because I'm coming.

My Dad drives into the car park beside the square and pulls into a handicap spot. We all step out of the car and we're greeted to yet another alert, "Attention! The Reaping is beginning, please come to the square immediately".

* * *

**Kaiser Darius/D2M/17:**

I hear the announcement so I begin to pick up my pace. I vision the poor tributes ahead of me, I'm chasing after them with a knife, blood pouring from their wounds. Delicious.

I arrive at the square and I walk into the queue of pathetic teenagers. The square is filled with banners featuring the Capitol flag and the Capitol anthem is blaring out. "Next," the woman at a table in front of me says. I walk up to the table, and roughly, she grabs my arm and injects a syringe into it. The syringe fills up with some of my blood and I feel my arm tingling when she lets go of it. "You're just supposed to prick my finger and take a fingerprint of my blood, you know?" I tell her. Rudely, she just says "next".

I walk into the crowd of teenage boys and I head straight to the front, that way I can volunteer and get up onto the stage quickly before anyone else does. I stand there, in the front row, with a hidden smirk, waiting for my time to come.

* * *

**Sasha Henlin/D2F/15:**

I say my goodbyes to my parents at the start of the queue and I give them both passionate hugs. "Whatever happens, just remember that it will all be okay," my teary Mum says. "Okay Mum, stop crying. You need to know that it will all be okay, okay?". She nods. What she doesn't know is that I'm going to volunteer. It's going to break my heart to see her cry, but it wont matter, because I'm going to make it out alive. Everyone will know my name, it will be all okay.

I have to push my parents into the parents section to get them away, then Layla and I make our way into the queue. The woman at the top of the queue sucks our blood into a syringe and we head into the crowd. "I hope I get picked," Layla tells me. "Me too". Well, she better not volunteer or I'm going to have to kill her myself before she makes it to the Games.

Our conversation is cut short by an odd piercing voice coming from the stage. "Welcome to all!", calls out Butter Brunya. I recognize her from the previous two reapings, she's a new one. "Today marks a very special event in District 2, the Reaping for the 100th Hunger Games!". She jumps around on the stage with pure joy, I can tell it's not an act. Her jumping around is making her wig bounce up and down too.

"Shall we begin?!", she shouts into the microphone, almost like she's trying to eat it. We all scream "Reap! Reap! Reap! Reap!". She tiptoes in her sharp pointed high heels over to the female bowl. "Time to find your female tribute!". She drops her hand into the bowl and feels around for a perfect slip. She feels almost each and everyone, saying "Nope, not this one" or "This one is probably a weakling", until she comes to a conclusion. She quickly lifts her hand out of the bowl and raises it over her head. "Who will it be?!". She unfolds the piece of paper, making the crowd fall silent. "Uhhh- I'm not sure how to say this one", she mummers. "Okay, it's some sort of typical name; the first name is some sort of flower and the surname is some sort of diamond or crystal.."

Instead of waiting for her to figure out, like everyone else seems to be doing, I quickly scream it out. "I volunteer as tribute!".

* * *

**Kaiser Darius/D2M/17:**

Over in the girl's section of the square, I see a dark blonde girl step out from the crowd. So this is going to be my fellow Career who I'll be spending the next few weeks with, and who I'll probably end up slaughtering.

We make a second of eye contact and I look into her eyes. Hazel I think. She quickly walks up onto the stage to be greeted by Butter, all while Butter is jumping out of her skin. "My oh my! A volunteer!", Butter screams into the microphone, "This was unexpected!". It wasn't, she's only saying that for effect.

"What's your name?!", she screams into the girl's face. "Sasha Henlin," she replies, leading to a serious of painful screams and cries from what must be her family behind me.

Butter hasn't got much more to say to Sasha, so she continues her orders. "Now for the boys!" she yells. She hops over to the male bowl and I can feel my legs shaking. This is it. It's time.

She picks out a piece of paper and opens it up. "Kisha Flontwa". Now! "I volunteer as tribute!".

* * *

**Sasha Henlin/D2F/15:**

I see the hand raise out of the male section and I barely hear the voice. The boy steps out of the crowd which sets off a domino effect of disappointed boys screaming "I volunteer as tribute!". They were just a couple of seconds too late. The boy fiercely walks up onto the stage. That was the guy I had just saw a couple of seconds ago! It's him.

He stands beside me and I can immediately smell a horrible waft of odor. He must have been rolling around in mud! His messy black hair is jagged and pointy, making angles like a cutting blade off of his head. "And your name?", Butter asks. "Kaiser Darius". Butter's playfulness obviously does not mix well with Kaiser's serious tones, so she just simply replies "Okay," nervously.

"District 2.. please give a warm welcome to your tributes! Sasha and Kaiser!"

This is it. My life is almost complete. I'm so close to the Games, I can sense Kaiser's blood that's ready to be spilled. I look out into the crowd to try and find my parents, but I can't see them. Who cares, I'll see them soon.

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!", she says just before she grabs both of our hands and leads us into the Justice Building.

* * *

**So... how are you liking the story? Please leave a review and give me your thoughts, the more you review the more I know that you are actually interested. Thank you so much, stay tuned for the District 3 Reaping!**


	4. District 3 Reaping

**District 3 Reaping! Hope you all enjoy! :)**

* * *

_"May I offer you any minerals?" the maids asks. Fraux's anger is rising, but at least he doesn't lash out at the maid. "No, get out please," he replies, his eyebrows rising. The maid doesn't need to be told twice, she leaves quickly without hesitation. Now he was on his own. Now he could finish his orders._

_Floating in front of him, in the air, is the arena design. "Oh, your so precious," he whispers to himself, licking his balloon-like lips, "just wait until everyone sees you."_

_He raises his hand and turns the hologram to the other side, and pushes on a section of the arena, zooming in on the area and deleting everything else out of sight. "This is going to play out very interestingly," he thinks to himself._

* * *

_This twisted tale is only beginning, who will fall, and who will end up winning? Everyone, all across Panem, young and old, started to wonder what these new Games would behold. The pressure of these Games made Fraux cry, but when he was finally finished, he couldn't wait to see all twenty four tributes die. The arena is set, the Reapings are coming, now Fraux can see the 100th Hunger Games finally forming._

* * *

**Daniel Arthurness/D3M/12:**

I zip up my jacket and wave my goodbyes to my stepparents. "Go to Jake's straight after the Reaping is over!" my father orders. I nod my head and I head outside with Jake. Today's the Reaping, but I wont be able to go through the stress of it with any love or care. My stepparents are going to take their invitation to the Capitol Pre Hunger Games party, leaving me here in District 3 at Jake's house. My mother locks the door and Jake and I head off to the Reaping.

"You nervous?" he asks. I guess he can notice that my personality has changed since last night. I'm always happy or cracking some jokes, but now that it's my first Reaping, I'm super nervous. This will be Jake's second Reaping, so I guess he's used to it and not as nervous.

"Of course I'm nervous!" I shriek, "I could be sent to an arena where I have to fight people to death!".

Jake looks at me with a puzzled look, I've never lashed out at him before. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous." He chuckles, then I know that he's cool with it. "Well, I can already tell that you're nervous!"

* * *

**Lucy Voltzer/D3F/16:**

Being homeless on Reaping days just makes it seem that I'm some terrified little girl praying that I don't get picked.

I pack my bag with my clothes and the last bit of my chocolate bar and I leave the alley. "Attention! Everyone, please make your way to the Justice Building. As I'm told to, I make my way to the Justice Building.

I manage to get stares from every person that walks past me on the street, mainly looking at my baggy clothes. Well, I just don't give a damn. I'm so used to the stares, the taunts, and even the teenagers that steal my stuff and beat me up that I can't care about anything. Who needs me? I'm not put on this planet to do anything, I'm just there to make you feel uncomfortable when I walk by you. No one needs me.

* * *

**Daniel Arthurness/D3M/12:**

We arrive at the Reaping to see that we're one of the first people there. "I would have thought that the alert would have made some people arrive by now," Jake says. "Apparently not," I reply.

I'm new to the Reaping, but I can recognize some things from when they were on TV last year. Jake leads me up the queuing area that seems to have nobody around. "Give me your arm," a man says to Jake. The man, sitting at a snow white table, grabs his arm and injects some sort of needle thing into his arm. That's when I see a bottle connected to the needle, slowly fill with his blood.

"And you," the man says as he pulls the needle from Jake's arm. Why do they want my blood? He tosses the piece of equipment into a box and pulls out a new, fresh one. "Daniel, it doesn't hurt. Trust me," Jake urges. I'll believe anything Jake tells me, so I raise my arm, letting the man suck out my blood.

He pulls the needle out from my arm, and my arm drops dead to my side. "Come on, it's almost time".

* * *

**Lucy Voltzer/D3F/16:**

I've just finished having some blood taken out of my arm, and now I'm free to go into the tiny crowd. The man who done the job showed me no emotions, just more stares. Every year at the Reaping, I finally feel okay. The men and women who take our blood are the only people who I feel good around. They don't just stare at me, like people usually do. They stare at everyone, so it's finally normal to get looked at.

I enter the female crowd and I stand in between a couple of girls. There's barely anyone around but the Reaping is about to begin. The Capitol are certainly going to do something about the dodgers. What would happen if a child's name gets called out but they're not here?

* * *

**Daniel Arthurness/D3M/12:**

I look around and I see that the candy shop on the corner of the square is closed for this event. On the other corner of the square is a huge factory, making who knows what.

"District 3, welcome to the Reaping," a deep and tired voice says. I twist my head to see a middle aged man with black hair and glasses standing on the stage. This is what the Capitol have? This? Normally there's some sort of bubbly clown with crazy amounts of plastic surgery, but not this year.

"I shall now start to pick a girl," the stressed man puffs. He droops over to the female bowl, his arms hanging from their sockets. He pulls out a piece of paper and walks back over to the microphone. "Umm, Lucy Voltzer".

* * *

**Lucy Voltzer/D3F/16: **

Did he just call my name? He did! I knew he would! I've put my name in countless amounts of times to get free food and it looks like I'm about to give myself over to death. It's okay though, death doesn't bother me. This is going to be so great, I'll finally be able to die without having to do the job myself.

My eyes tear up from joy, something I've never felt before, and I step out among the small crowd of girls and I walk towards the stage. Everyone stares at me with weird looks, but who cares? I'm never going to have to go through pain again.

I walk up onto the stage and I'm greeted by bored man. "Congratulations," he says in his raspy voice. "Now for the boys".

* * *

**Daniel Arthurness/D3M/12:**

My brain has gone completely blank at the nerves, but I'm powered back up when I hear "Daniel Arthurness" coming from the stage. Jake stares at me in pure horror, too shocked to say anything. I'm... he just said my name. But, no. This is my first year, I've only put my name in once. How could it be me? There's hundreds of names in that bowl, so how could I be picked?

I walk out of the crowd and I slowly walk up the steps to the stage. My legs feel wobbly and I feel like I'm about to faint. "District 3, these are your tributes for the 100th Hunger Games," the man says. I've just realized that he hasn't told us his name, but that doesn't matter right now. I'm going to be in the Hunger Games. I'm going to die, I need to get out of here!

"Happy Hunger Games," his dreary voice begins, "and may the odds be ever in your favor". He opens the Justice Building doors and he storms on through, cursing at the Peacekeepers lined up in the hall.

Lucy and I walk into the hallway, the Peacekeepers shut the doors behind us. Now the thought truly sinks in when I hear the Capitol anthem playing. I'm going to be a tribute.

* * *

**So how did you like the District 3 Reaping? As always, please review and give me your feedback. Also, try and give me tips if you notice that my writing is lacking. I'm pretty new at writing and I wish to improve as it's an enjoyable thing to do. Thank you so much for continuing to read my stupid stories :) Byeeee**


	5. District 4 Reaping

**Welcome to the District 4 Reaping! Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

"Look! I caught one!" shouts Leith. I turn my head and I'm gobsmacked to see a cod hanging from the end of his rod. "But cod don't swim around here," moans Araxie, clearly jealous at his fourth catch today. "Well, it looks like I'm just special then," he replies. "Yeah, special in the brain," I joke.

Fishing out on the lake is great, especially when the lake is right behind your house. Leith, Araxie and I go fishing out here every Saturday morning, the only time when we get some peace.

"You guys nervous for the Reaping?" Araxie asks as Leith gets hit in the face by the squirming fish and it's tail. "Yes, I woke up this morning from a nightmare. I had been Reaped.." Araxie begins to comfort me by saying something like "Don't worry, you wont get picked!", but before she can say a word, she's interrupted.

"Attention! Everyone, please make your way to the Reaping." We all jump up off the grass in a panic. "I thought we had a couple of hours!" Leith says. "Apparently not," I reply.

We dump the fish that we caught into Leith's back pack and we sprint back to my house. I pull open the ajar back door to be greeted by my mother. "Hello Mrs. Lynn," Leith and Araxie both chime. "Hello everyone, you all better head to the Reaping now. Did you hear the alert?".

We all nod and I explain, "Yep, the trees down by the lake are filled with hidden speakers."

"Oh, before you guys go.. Would you like some cookies?".

Is she seriously trying to embarrass me in front of my best friend and my girlfriend? "Come on guys, we need to hurry."

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

"Amity, stay here. We'll be back in an hour," my mother tells my older sister, Amity. She's not eligible to be in the Reaping because she's now twenty one.

I open my mother's car door and I let Blathe and Allegra into the back. "Don't be nervous Allegra," I tell my younger sister as I get into the front seat. "Your name wont be picked." It's Allegra's first year in the Reaping, her first year of stress basically. "They wont pick you either, Blathe". Blathe is fourteen now so it's his third year in the Reaping.

I can feel the nerves when my mother starts to drive the car. Blathe and Allegra should be bouncing around in the back right now, but today they're dead silent. Almost too silent. My mother would always sneakily show me their report cards from school, and the reports always read that they were too chatty, just like they are at home.

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" I ask them both, trying to relax them a bit. If anything, I think I made them worse. "What if we're both not here tonight?" cries Allegra, bursting open her flood banks. I grab out the box of tissues from the hidden compartment in the front of the car, and I hand them to Allegra. "Calm down, just remember that the Hunger Games only make us better people," my mother calls out to the sobbing mess.

She's right, the Hunger Games only make us better people. They bring us together like a community.

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

We briskly walk through the crowds of cheering people, ready for the Reaping. Capitol banners hang from every rooftop, I even saw some crazy person with the Capitol symbol tattooed on his arm. Leith and Araxie are still behind me when I turn my head, so I decide to walk a bit faster. We turn around the busy street corner and we all see the Reaping area. "There!" I shout. For some reason, they always seem to change the location every year. Last year it was at the end of a housing estate, this year it's out on a walkway over the sea.

We crush through the crowds of ecstatic adults until we finally make it to the tent at the entrance to the walkway. We walk inside to see tons of kids being injected with syringes. "Where should we go to?" I ask the other two. Araxie points towards a table with no queue, "that one."

We walk up to the desk to find a lifeless woman sitting behind it. "Give me your arm," she orders me. I do as I'm told and my arm is sucked of it's blood, the juices pour into the syringe. I've had plenty of injections before so it doesn't bother me, but when it's Leith's turn.. Let me just say that he can really act like a scared baby sometimes.

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

I wipe tears from Allegra's eyes when we walk out from the tent, onto the walkway. "I can't feel my arm!" she screams, causing a chain of people to start looking at us like something's wrong. "Allegra, stop crying! I don't want you to go over to those brave kids and think that you're a baby!", I say. I comfort her for a couple of minutes until I hear the Capitol anthem beginning to play. "It's starting," I say, but a swarm of Peacekeepers start to push us all into our sections.

I'm forced into a crowded area of girls just as I see the previous host, Flinka, come out onto the stage. The stage is at the end of the platform. They clearly must have made the stage specially for this event.

"Hellooo!", says Flinka into the microphone. "Welcome to the District 4 Reaping! My name is Flinka Heminsh and I shall be reaping the two tributes!". Just then, rising out of either ends of the stage are two glass bowls on a wooden stand. "Shall we get started?".

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

"Ladies first!", she squeals. She hops across the stage in her extremely tall high heels, over to the female bowl. Her short purple wig falls off without her noticing. She dips her hand into the bowl and pulls out a slip of paper. "Who shall it be?". My eyes roam around to try and find Araxie, but I fail. I just hope that it isn't her..

Flinka pulls out her reading glasses and places them on. She slowly unfolds the paper. "Araxie Dunvail."

"I volunteer as tribute!".

I think I almost had a heart attack. Araxie was so close to being in those Games, so close to death, I couldn't have let my girlfriend go. Who was kind enough to do this? Who was crazy enough to do this? I prop my head up over the tall boys and I see the girl with her shiny black hair in a pony tail walk up onto the stage. "She's safe!" I scream in Leith's face, "she's safe!"

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

I step up onto the stage and I hear the screams of a little girl. I recognize the voice. It's Allegra. I just hope that my mother calms her down after this is over. My mother. I hope she's okay too. For all I know, she could be frantically screaming right now, breaking down on the ground. I just hope she's not. I never told any of them that I was going to volunteer, but it's too late now. I did the unforgivable.

Flinka is much more older than I thought, she's actually very old. She squeezes me in her arms and lets go of me again, finally letting me catch my breath. "We have a volunteer! Very fancy! Now to the boys!". She ditches me in the middle of the stage and she hops over to the male bowl, still forgetting her wig. She lifts the chosen slip out of the glass bowl and tosses it into the air, catching it in her other hand.

She opens it up and reads the name out, "Dathan Lynn". I see Dathan rise out of the crowd. He's pretty tall and he's got short brown hair. As he approaches the stage, I begin to see his build forming, he's got some nice muscles bulging out from his tight shirt. What a good partner for the Games. He climbs up the steps and he's place right beside me by Flinka.

"Well, well, well! We have our tributes for District 4 in the 100th Hunger Games, Eden and Dathan!", shouts Flinka. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor".

She places her wrinkled hands on our shoulders and she leads us into the dark hallways of the Justice Building.

* * *

**So what did you think of that? I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and if you did or you didn't, please leave a review! Thank you :)**


	6. District 5 Reaping

_"President Snow, I'd like to alert you on something important," Fraux Hellex says as he peers through the ajar door. With a wave of Snow's fingers, Fraux quietly steps into the room and walks towards the leather sofa. _

_"You may sit," whispers Snow's gravelly voice. Fraux lowers himself onto the cushions, "Your health is diminishing, sir." _

_"Do you think that I have not noticed that? Inform me on your news."_

_Fraux chuckles, trying to cover up his distasteful attitude towards the president. "Well, according to my calculations, only forty percent of District 3's youth showed up to the Reaping. Luckily, though, the reaped tributes were present."_

_"The children that were present would have given you a finger print of their blood. You should know who wasn't there and I'll send out Peacekeepers to publicly execute them all. We do have an impressive array of guillotines, you know?", replies Snow._

_"But sire, we have a bottles full their blood instead of finger prints. I ordered the staff at the Reapings to take lots of blood for.." he hesitates, "..I could use it."_

_Snow nods, approving whatever dirty idea that Fraux has for the tributes and their blood._

_"That's not all though, there has been two more serious cases."_

_"And what may they be, Fraux?"._

_"There's been riots and a shooting." Four Reapings have taken place today already, two more are happening in a couple of hours, but there has already been shocking events today. What could possibly be in store for the remaining Reapings tomorrow morning?_

_"Why? What's happened?" asks Snow, his voice becoming louder and stern. "There was a rebel at the District 1 Reaping this morning"._

_"At a District 1 Reaping? They are usually the ones who enjoy our Games, who can actually see the entertainment in them. Why would someone there try to rebel?"._

_He's right. District 1 is the main District that very few riots happen in. They love the Games, they see them as a social gathering, to bring people together once a year._

_"It must have been a tribute's mother. She ran on the stage and grabbed onto Ole, the male tribute. Our Peacekeepers prevented any drama from happening, so they put her into an eternal sleep. Unfortunately, it set off the crowds at the Reaping and the other Districts. Only three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve saw it."  
_

_Snow stands up from the sofa and lets his temper run wild. "So every District apart from two! Why didn't you make the screen go black?! This is only going to start a burning fire, separating us from the Districts! Do you want another rebellion?!"_

_Fraux slowly stands up and starts to walk backwards. "Don't worry, sir. I shall show the Districts that we are in control, that we will always be in control. The 100th Hunger Games shall hush the Districts once again. I shall not cause the third rebellion."_

_"Well you better make them hush!", roars Snow, "If the Reapings in five and six don't go swell today, you wont see the light of day again."_

_Fraux opens the door and starts walking out backwards, "Don't worry, sir. You need to remember that when the Games start next week, they will be controlled twenty-four-seven. I pull the strings that are attached to the tributes, while everyone watches them flail around like little puppets."_

* * *

**Tranthan Aileys/D5M/16:**

I tuck in my striped shirt to my beige pants just as I catch glimpse of the riots in District 1. I turn up the volume on my TV remote and I hear the screams and shouts of horrified citizens. Reapings never go like this, at least for the past four years they didn't. The Hunger Games was never mentioned in my household until I was twelve, until I was eligible to be in them. My parents had always banned them from the television at night by locking Capitol TV with a code, including the Reapings also.

"You don't need to be watching that," my concerned father says as he walks into the sitting room. He has his hair greased back and he's wearing a suit-like jacket and some black trousers. "I just want to know what happens in my country, no need to be angry," I snarl. "Well either way you need to turn it off. We're leaving now." Leaving to our doom.

I wait at the porch with my father for my mother to arrive. The unrecognizable woman steps down the stairs in her high heels. "I was just finishing my lip gloss." Never have I seen her like this before. It's only a Reaping, not a fancy prestige party!

My father locks the front door and he tosses me the keys for the car. I unlock the door and I sit in the front, forcing my mother into the squashed back row. "We seriously need to get a new car," she moans.

I take out the comb from the front compartment and I comb my hair while my father drives us. "After this, I only have two more years and I'll finally classed as "too old to be in the Games". Does that mean that I can finally stay home alone while you guys go on trips to the Capitol?". I catch the sight of my giggling mother in the mirror. "Oh, aren't you a funny one!"

I stare at my hair in the mirror and I start to imagine myself with all sorts of fancy hair styles. What would the stylists in the Capitol do to me if I was in the Games? Obviously I'm not ever going to, but it would be cool to have the best looking hair out of all my friends, even if it only lasted for a day or two before I get hacked to death with an sword.

My thoughts are stopped by loud screams and shouts of terror outside the car. "Stop the brakes!", my mother screams. As he's insisted to do, my father pulls the brakes and I see why he needed to. I see fire.

* * *

**Erenis Gadar/D5F/15:**

It would have been nice to get the Reaping done and over with pretty quickly, but nope, there's floods of people rioting in the streets, setting dustbins and lamp posts on fire every second. Good thing I don't have to go through the crowds alone.

"Papayla, this way!", I try and shout over the deafening roars. My best friend proceeds to follow me through a patch full of trees and around a corner, past the mobs.

"Did you see what happened in District 1 this morning?", she asks. "No, what happened?".

She explains to me the full story. Apparently some woman got shot because she was trying to free her soon-to-be-tribute son, Ole. "I would have thought that the parents in District 1 would like they're children to be in the Games. She must be some sort of raving lunatic," I say.

This year's Games are certainly going to be a spectacle of rage.

Papayla and I make our way to the park where the Reaping is being held. We always come here on sunny weekends and gossip for hours about the bitches at school. Now it's time for the bitches to be picked to fight to the death.

We enter the banner filled park to expect to see swarms of children. The place is a deserted wasteland. We begin to hear the Capitol anthem and we know that the Reaping's beginning. We sprint and hop over the bushes and hedges until we see a strange looking figure on the wooden stage.

* * *

**Tranthan Aileys/D5M/16:**

It was clever of me to remember that shortcut down Jabban Street, otherwise we would have been late to the Reaping. My parents and I split up just as we see the white tents, they go into the seating area for the adults while I go into the tent. On the inside there's a full row of tables with odd looking men and women sitting on the other side of them. I walk up to the first table and I'm greeted by a bubbly woman, quite odd considering they're dull and boring every other year.

"Would you please give me your arm, thank you!" she politely asks. I raise my arm and she injects it with a syringe. "What do you need my blood for?", I ask when I see it fill up with my liquids. "I haven't been told why, but I bet that Fraux Hellex needs it for something very exciting!", she says.

I exit the tent and I walk into the crowd of... well, there isn't a crowd. I'm guessing that everyone is keeping their kids safe at home, away from the Reaping as an act of rebellion against the Games. I'm smart enough to come become I don't like getting killed in public, it's not a finer hobby of mine.

I stand right up front to the stage with about ten other boys. "Ladies first!", I hear a voice call out from the stage. I look up to see a small, thin, colorful woman walking over to one of the glass bowls on the stage. I missed the introduction! Now I don't know her name!

She's not wearing a wig, she's letting her blonde locks flow, but she still is wearing something from the Capitol, a multi-colored fur jacket. How fancy.

She plunges her short hand into the bowl and pulls out a card. "Erenis Gader".

**Erenis Gadar/D5F/15:**

Papayla starts spurting out random noises in shock. She called my name out.. But how? What are the odds?

I walk diagonally through the patch of grass, where the rest of the girls should be, and I walk up onto the stage nervously. "You stand right here!", the woman points to an x marked spot on the stage.

"Now for the boys!".

My mind goes blank. All I do is stare out into the greenery; all the pretty bushes, trees and flowers. How could it be me? I snap awake when I hear the pounding footsteps of a boy walking up onto the stage. He stands right beside me and I stare at him. Tall, blonde hair, muscular; he could be a great tribute.. Wait, he is a tribute! What's his name? I didn't hear his name being called out!

"District 5! I hope you enjoy seeing your two tributes getting killed at the Games next week!" the woman calls out to the few children and parents, knowing that she can say anything she wants, including the truth, since nobody's here.

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!".

She grabs our hands and pulls us down the steps of the stage and walks us towards the park exit, over to the Justice Building while we're guarded by tons of Peacekeepers.

When we exit the park, I try to scream Papayla's name, hoping for her to reply, but instead we're greeted to a mob of angry citizens who try to break us out from the ring of Peacekeepers.

* * *

**A fire is catching... Do you feel the warmth? Hope you enjoy the next and final (YES, FINAL!) Reaping! I'm going to be doing this story differently, as you can see, but I think you will all be satisfied with the outcome (I'm speaking about the format of the story and the plot).**

**As usual, please review and give me your feedback! Thank you very much for reading, byeeee! :)**


	7. District 6 Reaping

_Coriolanus Snow leans back into his comfy sofa and he watches the events of the District 5 Reaping unfold on his floating TV screen. He begins to feel his skin crawl and itch, his body starts aching with an unbelievable pain. He immediately grasps onto the syringe on his coffee table, and he stabs it into his arm.__He feels the drug swim through his blood, killing all the disease. Laxotium, that's what he named the cure._

_It all started after the second rebellion was won. Snow had ordered that every single mockingjay in Panem be exterminated, freeing everyone from the rebellion symbol, all except a few that he wanted to experiment on. While the mockingjays were kept in the Capitol science labs, they adopted an unknown disease. President Snow was infected and started gaining serious, fatal problems._

_The doctors told him that he was going to pass, but he was determined not to slip away just yet. He commanded his medical team to try and find a miracle, and so they did. Laxotium was created especially for Snow, not even the highest government officials could get their hands on it or even know about it._

_In public, Snow looked as fresh as any other human being, but backstage at his puppet show, he was slowly dying._

_The laxotium can only keep the disease dead for a few days before it grows back, and eventually it wont defeat the virus, the disease will had multiplied too large._

_The Puppetmaster's strings that control Panem are starting to burn and break from the growing rebels, and the Puppetmaster himself is starting to fall..._

* * *

**Axel Rails/D6M/17:**

"Good morning! Time for the daily news," I hear from the radio perched on my windowsill. "During the Reaping in District 5, forty-five minutes ago, a fire broke out and injured the male and female tributes that were reaped. The two tributes are currently being medically treated on a train to the Capitol.

Yeah right.. I turn off my radio and head down stairs. A fire broke out? Metaphorically speaking, a fire did break out. The flames between the Districts and the Capitol are heating up. The shooting in District 1 earlier today has started the fire, now District 5 has added fuel to it.

When the Capitol destroyed the underground bunkers of District 13 during the second rebellion, our land was free of any rebels. Now it seems that they've been reborn over the last twenty-five years.

"Did you hear the news?", I ask my father who's watching the District 5 Reaping on our television set. "What news?", he asks, "Wait, look at that!". I stare at the television screen, watching the two tributes being ushered out of the park, just as I see the Reaping stage being set alight. Then the screen goes black.

"Pesky rebels!", my father roars. "Those horrible cretins are trying to get us all killed in a third rebellion! Why are they fighting the Capitol when the Capitol make us all better people?!", he says with a spraying of his saliva.

I exit the living room and I wait by the door for my mother to get ready. I don't like fighting so I better not cause a riot in my own house by sharing my opposite thoughts with him. The Capitol make us all better people? If anything, they make us worse people! Millions of people across Panem tune into the Hunger Games every year, waiting maliciously for gore and blood of our loved ones! Does death really make us better people? All it does is make us savage and psychotic!

My mother quietly walks out from the kitchen and pulls me outside the house. "Are you going to come and lock the door?", I shout at my father from outside. "Stop interrupting my show!". I slam the door shut and I walk away with my mother, knowing that the prick is never going to close the door. I don't even know why I try to entertain the fool.

Why do I always try to make our relationship better by asking him basic questions? All I ever get is a storm of shouting and screaming if I say something wrong. The only reason that I love Reapings is because I can finally get away from him.

* * *

**Flannery Parsons/D6F/13:**

"Are you ready?!", my older brother shouts from downstairs. "I'm putting on my makeup! Just wait a minute!", I shout back. Reaping or not, I always need my makeup. Good thing our house is only around the corner from the Reaping, otherwise I'd be late.

I apply my lip gloss quickly and I pout my lips in the mirror. Perfect.

I rush downstairs and I'm immediately greeted by my brother, "Come on!". We rush through the back exit and we walk out from behind the counter. Our parents' restaurant is normally filled with people ordering many of our family's recipes, but not today. The place is deserted apart from a few elders who are ordering coffee.

"Hello Mrs. Appleton," I say to the regular customer. My brother nudges me with his shoulder, urging me that we have to leave now. "Reaping today, now is it?", she replies. I nod my head. Rudely, my brother interrupts. "Yeah, we better get going. It's probably starting."

My father steps out from the kitchen and continues our conversation with the lady, letting us get to the Reaping on time. He winks at me, and I know he's telling me "Good luck."

We charge out of the building and we turn around the corner to see groups of angry mobs. "What the heck.." my brother says. What the heck indeed. In between all the crowds, I see the tall Justice Building with the set stage at the bottom. "Follow me!", I shout.

I run with my brother down the long pathway, trying not to get hit by the thrown rocks. Good thing there's no pitchforks or mini bombs around here.

We charge past the alleyway that houses the three local morphlings. I don't know about the two women, but I do know that the man won the 81st Games. They stare at me oddly, but I don't have time to be spooked by them, because I suddenly see a burst of fire coming from the sweet shop on the other side of the street.

We continue running, and I begin to see the fire engulfing a car. "Don't turn back!", my brother shouts. We end up at the end of the street and we charge into the massive tent. "We don't have time, just head straight through!", a woman shrieks at us. We do as we're told and we run out through the exit, into the empty area.

"Now we've got twenty-two! That's enough to start!", I hear a woman scream from the stage, "Just stand anywhere you like, no need to get into your groups!".

I look up to see a black and white clown on the stage, shaking in fear. We stand near the front and I hear the Capitol anthem starting to play. Here we go..

* * *

**Axel Rails/D6M/17:**

I hear the shouts and screams of the angry civilians approaching more and more. "Just start already!", I think to myself. I grasp onto my mother's hand in fear that we're going to be attacked. "My name is Deep and- why don't I just start with the girls right now? Let me do it!", she shouts as she hops over to the female bowl.

She stumbles in her high heels and falls over the wooden table, sending the glass bowl smashing into the floor. She shrieks as the slips of paper fly off the stage, out into the small group of us. "Uhm... this one!", she says as she picks up one of the slips from the floor. She unfolds the paper just as I hear the screams getting louder. "Flannery Parsons! Hurry up!".

Flannery walks up onto the stage from her spot in front of me and she shakes mercilessly. I see a boy standing in front of me, sobbing quietly to himself. Must have known her. "Okay, now to the boys!", says Deep. She wobbles over to the glass bowl and plucks out a card. She unfolds the paper and coughs, clearing her throat.

I hear the shouts getting closer and closer. I turn my head around and I see the white tent being engulfed in flames.

"Axel Rails! Oh there's a fire!".

No, did she just call my name out? She did! But.. what?

"Axel, don't worry.." my mother whispers into my ear, her eyes filling with tears. "Axel? Are you here? Please come up right now!", the horrified clown shrieks. From the corner of my eye, I begin to see the storming crowds of citizens charging on towards us. I stop letting my emotions run wild and I run up onto the stage and I stand beside Flannery. "Happy Hunger Games and may- oh forget it! Here's your tributes, District 6!", screams Deep.

The doors of the Justice Building swing open, and out comes a fleet of Peacekeepers that charge off the stage and vanish into the crowd. Deep grabs both of our hands and she proceeds to pull us into the dark hallways of the Justice Building. "I love you!", I shout to my crying mother, she shouts the same back. The last Peacekeeper runs out of the building and slams the doors shut behind him.

I break free from Deep's grasp and I peer through the keyhole, leaving my eyes to be disturbed by the horrific sight of decapitated limbs and spraying blood.

* * *

**Intense... what did you think of this chapter? I can't wait for you guys to read the next one because it's going to be very different, to say the least. Hope you enjoyed it! As always, if you have time, drop me a review! Thank you for reading, byeeee :)**


	8. Different

**Jean Evens/D7M/15:**

"It's starting now!", my mother yells at me from the back door of the house. I drop my axe on the ground beside the tree stump and I walk up the garden covered in dirt. Thank god I finally get a break. The Capitol have planned an announcement to take place at eight-thirty tonight, and it's just about time. I had heard about the planned announcement on the news earlier today, but it was quite unexpected. Now it's time to see what the surprise is! I just hope that it's nothing about the stupid Games.

I rush through the kitchen and I charge into the living room, just in time to see the opening credits roll across the screen. The camera pans around the main road that is used for the Game's big parade, showing off the crowds of crazy people screaming frantically. At the end of the expansive walkway is the Tribute Center, the place where they house all the tributes before the Games begin. I think that's where the training center is too.

At the top of the Tribute Center, President Snow appears on a small balcony and peers out over the crowds. "Citizens of Panem," he says hoarsely into the microphone, "you have all gathered here today for an important update."

He coughs and pulls the microphone towards himself further.

"As you may know, there has been a chain of disasters in all the Districts. I, as the controller of peace, have decided that the remaining Reapings that are taking place tomorrow, the District seven to twelve Reapings, shall not take place."

* * *

**Retta Coppen/D7F/17:**

The Reapings have been cancelled? Does this mean that the Games are over, are my chances of escaping my family ruined?

The crowds in the Capitol moan and shout with disappointment, considering that this announcement has nothing to do with them.

"Now, now. Do not fret," continues Snow, "the Games are still on."

Perfect, my chances aren't ruined! Freedom from my family would be amazing. An orphan being turned into a slave by her new parents sounds like some sort of fairy tale, but it's not. I've already tried everything; escaping, reporting them, even taking my own life, but nothing seems to be successful with me. "You better not get picked, you're great at following commands. I don't think we'll find another one like you," says my witch of a mother.

"The reasons behind this are pretty clear. Many lives were taken in the District 6 Reaping today, and I cannot risk anymore deaths. The Reapings shall take place now."

* * *

**Volt Ford/D8M/15:**

Never have the Capitol done anything like this before. "By the way, there shall be no volunteers allowed," says Snow.

Two servants step out from the room behind him with two glass bowls, placing them on the balcony ledge. "Shall we begin with District 7?".

He dips both of his hands in both of the bowls and pulls out two cards. "And the female tribute is...", he unfolds the slip of paper, "...Retta Coppen".

Somewhere in District 7, a poor girl is being comforted by her family, knowing that she is soon going to be slaughtered in the Games. At least her death will be saw by thousands of people on TV.

Snow unfolds the second card. "And the male tribute is.. Jean Evens. Happy Hunger Games, District 7. We can't wait to see your tributes battle it out in the arena." The crowd cheers with joy. "District 8 is next," calls out Snow. The two servants step out again with two new bowls, replacing them with the other two.

This is it.. My name is in there four times. That's four out of hundreds and hundreds, the odds that I'll get picked are very low. I wont get reaped, I'm certain..

Snow pulls out a card from the female bowl and unfolds it carefully, "Sarah Harrington."

* * *

**Sarah Harrington/D8F/17: **

I drop my glass of water in shock, letting it smash against the wooden floor. He called my name out. He said my name. Am I dreaming? No, he did! I'm going to be a tribute, preparing myself to die!

My parents stare at me in utter shock. "Sarah.." says my mother.

I jump out of my seat and I toss myself to the floor, cutting my legs with the shards of glass. "Sarah! Get up!", my parents shout at me! My father pulls me up but I wriggle out of his grasp. "Come back!", I hear one of them scream, maybe both. I unlock the front door and I charge outside, but not before I hear President Snow saying "Volt Ford" on my television set.

I'm immediately greeted by a swarm of Peacekeepers. Are they here to get me already? How did they get here so quickly? There must be a five minute delay on the TV for them to be here so quick. One of them grabs me and carries me over to one of the huge trucks, knowing that I'm trying to escape. I see my parents standing at the front door from the corner of my eye, crying quietly to themselves.

I squirm in his grasp, trying to break free, but I'm plunged into the back of the truck and he closes the door, leaving me in complete darkness.

* * *

**Barley Harvest/D9M/15:**

"Mazie Rice," says President Snow menacingly. I think I've heard of her before. She's that girl at school that everyone throws stones at. She always spooked me with her grey skin. She always looked starving, her bones were practically bulging out of her skin. The poor bag of bones is now going to be hacked away into a _pile_ of bones.

"Ms. Rice sounds like a well fed woman, I'm pretty sure she wont starve in the arena," says Snow. If only he knew..

He unfolds the other slip of paper he has in his hand. "Barley Harvest."

I immediately feel uneasy and I collapse back onto my sofa. "Barley, you'll be okay! Don't cry!", my mother sobs. I wont be okay and I will cry if I want. And I do want to.

I let my river banks burst open, letting the streams pour down my face. I'm going to die. I'm basically handing myself over to death. How am I going to win? I can't! There's going to be tough Career tributes with powerful weapons; I'm going to be slaughtered.

* * *

**Mazie Rice/D9F/16:**

"Do your best! You can do it, I know you can!", my older brother sobs. Support from my parents would have been great, but since the Reaping wasn't until tomorrow, they left my brother and I here while they went to care for our grandmother in hospital. "I will do my best, but I can't promise that I'll survive for very long," I say to my brother.

He's twenty-six, he's a grown man now. Grown men shouldn't cry, or at least I haven't saw a grown man cry. "Mazie, listen to everything they say. Follow your mentor's advice, you need to gain sponsors! Talk during your interviews! If you do-", I interrupt him. "But I can't! I'm going to just be myself, I'm not putting on an act for anyone!", I shout.

He's taken aback by my shouting. I'm really shy and I don't like speaking to new people. Interviews are my worst nightmare. How am I going to sit through a long interview with crazy people staring at me, and an ecstatic man forcing me to spill little details? I'm going to have a heart attack on the stage.

Suddenly, we both hear a bang coming from the front of the house. "What was that?", my brother asks. I shrug my shoulders. "Grab a knife".

I do as he orders me and I grab the sharpest knife in the kitchen that I can find. We quietly creep through the house and we arrive at the front door. The door is kicked down and a troupe of Peacekeepers charge in. "Mazie Rice! Where are you?!", one of them muffles through his mask. "Here", I whisper. I'm forcefully dragged by the group out of the house and I'm pushed into the back of white van.

"Mazie!", my brother screams, trying to get past the lines of the guards. The Peacekeeper's slam the doors shut, blocking out the light. I feel a rumble and suddenly the van starts moving, making me wobble and fall to the floor.

This is it. I'm on my way to the Games.

* * *

**Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I felt that I rushed it and that I didn't explain a lot of details, but I promise, the countdown to the Games shall give enough POV's of each of the characters to make you feel for all of them. I really promise that so I hope you don't leave the story at this point! Also, please vote for the winner on my profile! Who wins? YOU DECIDE! I'll be killing the characters in order that they come out on the poll. If you've sent me more than one character for the story, it looks like you'll have to pick between your precious babies! Mwuahaha! Please go and vote for that :)****BTW, I have the bloodbath characters set already, so if a bloodbath character gets the most votes to win, I'll still kill them and I'll pick the second place :)****As usual, please review if you have time. Thank you :)**


	9. Change

**Roscoe Tarpan/D10M/17:**

_"Flafalay!", I shout to my little sister, "Run!". I sit here in a cold space of darkness, but I can still see my sister in the arena. She sprints down the side of the erupting volcano, desperately trying to dodge the oozing magma that's rapidly surrounding her. "Look out!", I scream._

_Flafalay twists her head and she immediately sees what I'm warning her about. The boy starts chasing after her with his machete in his firm grasp. She sprints away from him and starts heading diagonally downwards to the right._

_ The sizzling of the magma is getting louder and so are the thumping footsteps of the eighteen year old career. "Hurry!", I shout. _

_She tumbles on the rocky terrain and falls straight to the ground. She rolls over on her side and is greeted by the silhouette of the boy. He raises his machete high above his head. _

_"Run!", I scream._

_He furiously brings the weapon down towards her._

_"No!"._

_I watch as her body is turned to a mushy pile of guts, bones and blood and I feel myself floating in the middle of the darkness. My eyes are plagued by the sight of her body being hacked away like some gruesome murder in a horror movie. The Games just make us turn inhuman._

* * *

My body shakes and I jump awake from the nightmare. I'm panting and I'm mercilessly sweating. Maybe I should learn to turn off the "Top Ten Tribute Deaths" show that they air on Capitol TV every year before the Games start. Flafalaly came tenth on the list. I refuse to ever watch last year's Games, even if I skip to the parts where my sister isn't shown. It just doesn't feel right.

I stand up and fix my shirt that's half up my back and I get the fright of my life. "Short nap?", my father says as he looms in the dark corner of the room. "Turn on a light the next time! You scared the livin-", I say. "_Oh _shut up!" he jokes.

I walk past him and go straight into the kitchen to get a glass of water. "At least you're not sleeping for half the day and finally waking up to get food, and then go back to sleep. You're just getting some water, unlike some other days.." I spin around on my heels, "_Oh _shut up!".

My brain jolts awake and I suddenly remember something important. "The announcement on Capitol TV! Why didn't you wake me up to watch it? Did _you _watch it?", I shriek. My father gives me a blank look and I instantly know that he forgot. "You fool!", I shout.

I dash into our small living room and see that the TV is already on but.. Where's the remote?! I search frantically around the room and I find it under the sofa. I switch the channel to Capitol TV just in time. "What's the buzz?", my mother asks as she walks into the room. I simply reply, "Shhhhhh!".

We watch the show for the next couple of minutes and President Snow explains that the Reapings will take place now because of riots or something stupid like that. One by one, Snow goes through the remaining Districts until he gets to ten.

Snow pulls out a card from each of the two bowls sitting on his balcony ledge in front of him. He unfolds one of them. "And this shall be for the females," he explains.

"Madeline Juno."

* * *

**Madeline "Maddie" Juno/D10F/15:**

My eyelids widen as I stare at the television screen. Snow's voice swirls around in my head. "Madeline Juno". That's me, isn't it? Is there another Madeline Juno in District 10? The odds are probably extremely low, but it's still possible. No, it's got to be me.

"Maddie..", my mother says from the other end of the room. "Hayley," I say her name as I know she hates it when I do. Without any other words, my mother walks over to the wooden stool that I'm propped on, and hugs me forcefully. "It's okay to cry, you know," she says. I refuse to. I refuse to do anything, actually.

I don't even know how I feel about this. Am I supposed to be hysterically crying in a ball on the floor, or am I supposed to be granted with the honor of being in the Games? Maybe both.

"I'm fine," I whisper into my mother's ear. But it's funny, because I _am_ fine. I should be fine with the fact that I'm going to be sent to an arena to murder other kids my age. It's normal to be fine about that, ain't it?

"When do I leave? How do I get to the Capitol?", I ask my mother as she lets go. "What do you mean?", she asks. "I'm ready to go and I'm ready to return as a champion. I'm determined to fight back. I'm going to win and return home to show that they can't defeat me! The Capitol can't defeat me!", I say.

My mother stares at me with a puzzled expression. "Maddie, what are you talking about? Why are you acting so strange?", my mother asks. Strange? I'm acting strange? Just because I'm starting to speak to her again after our row? Does that make me strange? This woman can never seem to understand me.

Just for her sake, I'll keep my thoughts inside. If I say anything to her, she'll immediately question me and I'm sick of it.

"Nothing, Hayley," I say, "Just stop!". I gingerly walk out of the room and I walk into my bedroom. Having a bedroom upstairs would have been so much better, that way I wouldn't be able to hear my mother shouting angrily about me in the kitchen with my father. I hate this house and I hate this District. Why couldn't I have been born in a wealthier District like one or two?

I wonder what the Games will be like. Will I be the first to die? No! I will win, I shall be the victor. No one's going to control me, not even the Capitol. I'm going to show them that I shall not be contained. I will be brave and determined. They can't bring me down.

* * *

**Caspar Jarmine/D11M/17:**

"Now it's time for District 11," says Snow sinisterly, his evil grin beginning to widen. "You'll be okay, your name's only in there once," I say to Fraya, my shaking sister. The tears stream down her face as Snow dips his hands into the two bowls in front of him. "And your female tribute is.." Snow begins as he unfolds the piece of paper, "..Helena Wren."

"I told you that you wouldn't get picked!", I say to my sister. I walk over to her and lift her up off the wooden chair in joy. I swing her around and she giggles, but I hear something that makes me immediately stop and put her down.

"Now for the male tribute...", says Snow. This is the time where I discover my fate. My name is in that glass bowl six times, six chances to enter the horrid Games. But I wont get picked, I hope.

"...Caspar Jarmine." I'm at the point where I should be sighing with relief, but unfortunately, I can't. I've just been reaped.

"Casper," my father frowns. "I'll be okay," I say, trying to fight back my tears, but I'm not strong enough and I let my flow out. My sister hugs me and I she starts to cry. "I'll tell Dad, you stay here," she says. Fraya walks into the kitchen and leaves me to have some space. They called my name! I'm going to be in the Hunger Games..

I'm going to be forced to kill people. What am I going to do? I'm going to be killed! The careers are going to slaughter me!

I need to calm down and relax. I know that I'm going to die, but I can't go down without having a fight. I have to try.

* * *

**Helena Wren/D11F/14:**

I tie my frizzy hair back into a pony tail and I sit in the television room, waiting for myself to be brought to the Capitol by the Peacekeepers. I'm in shock that I've been reaped. My name was only in the bowl three times! How could I get picked? What are the odds?

How am I supposed to kill people? I can't make myself seem like a murderer in front of everyone in the District, especially my friends! I don't want them to see me get tortured either. Who knows what the Gamemakers will have in store? I hope that they have cotton candy clouds and unicorns, but I know that that's not the case at all.

They could throw me into some swampy lake filled with various killer fish. Or maybe not, they've already done that for the 96th Games. The head Gamemaker, Fraux Hellex, seemed pretty quiet during his interview with Caesar Flickerman. Hopefully his quiet personality will effect the arena, making it peaceful and calm with no mutts or traps. Hopefully. But I guess that's like saying the Hunger Games are normal and sane.

I'm not very confident on the fact that I could win. I'm probably going to die instantly in the bloodbath. I hope that my death will quick and painless. Maybe suicide is a better option.

* * *

**Ash Slate/D12M/16:**

"And now, onto the final District; District 12," says Snow. I've been standing here for so long that my feet are beginning to hurt, it's about time! It would be great if we even had a stool to sit on.

Snow dips his hands into two freshly placed bowls and pulls out two cards. "Firstly, the females," he says maliciously. "Here we go girls!", says my Aunt Verone. I look around the room at my two sisters, Martha and Sesia, to see that they're holding on to each other nervously. "And your female tribute is... Charm Horton. Congratulations Charm," says Snow.

"Yes! That's two years now!", screams Martha. She's only thirteen so this was her second year in the Reaping while Sesia has been in the mix for four years. Charm Horton is a complete stranger to me, but I still feel sorry for the girl. She's only a human after all. "And now onto the final reap of this year, the District 12 male," eerily says Snow.

This is it. My name is in there five times out of hundreds. It can't be me.. Or could it?

Snow slowly unfolds the slip of paper.

"Please..", I whisper quietly to myself.

"And the male tribute is..."

Here we go.

"Ash Slate."

I instantly feel a lump in my throat. Everyone looks at me; Sesia, Martha, my older brother Petro and Aunt Verone. "He can't go! No! He just can't!", screams Martha, breaking the peaceful silence. Sesia chimes in an she runs over to me and gives me a big hug. I look at Petro and his mouth is wide open in shock. "No! They can't take you!", exclaims Aunt Verone. Oh, but they can, and they will. I can't believe this. For once in my life, I wont have Petro or Aunt Verone to fend for me, to take care of me or to feed me. I'm going to be all on my own in that arena, and I'm going to die.

* * *

**Charm Horton/D12F/13:**

The next hour consists of my mother trying to calm me down as I panic and cry relentlessly. My mother gives me the last of the herb tea and I gulp it down. I instantly feel warm, cosy and relaxed. I never have any peace time in District 12 other then at night, so it's nice to finally be resting without having to roam the streets, begging people mercilessly for food while my old parents are on the brink of starvation.

"We named you Charm for a reason; because we thought that you would be a charm, and you are," my mother tells me while I sit on my bed. "All you need to do is charm the audience. They'll keep you alive because you're so cute and lovely."

She's right, I should charm the audience. It will give me sponsors, that way I'll be able to survive for a little bit longer. I need every bit of hope I can get to make it through the Games. My mother explains every detail about the Games to me, her knowing everything. "You seem to know a lot," I say to her. She stops looking at me and looks downwards. "Well I was in them before," she mutters.

She was in them?

"What do you mean?", I ask her. "I'm a victor of the 76th Games.. The Capitol's first priority after the rebellion was to get the Games starting again. I was reaped and I eventually won. When I got out, I was expecting to live in the Victor's Village. Unfortunately, the Capitol hadn't really cared about any of the lower District's Villages so they decided to rebuild them overtime."

I stare at her in disbelief. She won the Games? I try to take in the information but I'm totally puzzled by it all.

"But the Victor's Village has been rebuilt! Why aren't we living in it?", I ask.

"Well, I won the Games in a very peaceful way. Everyone else had died by natural causes and I just tried to hide. Because the year was so forgettable, and because I didn't do anything, they hadn't bothered to let me into the Village," she explains.

I start to think that we're going to have this conversation all night, but suddenly the front door is kicked down. Five Peacekeepers charge into our one-room house and grab me. "Charm Horton, we are here to collect you," says one of them. They pull me outside and I see a four big vans. I try to wriggle myself out of their grasp to see my mother, but it's no use. They toss me into the back of one of the vans and begin to close the doors.

"Charm!", I hear my mother scream from outside the van. I stand up and sprint towards my only escape and I vaguely see my mother standing behind the group of Peacekeepers, but the doors shut and I'm plunged into darkness.

* * *

**Well! Looks like the Reaping stages are over! It's time for the countdown to the Games! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. FUN FACT! It was the longest. Also, please go to my profile and take part in the voting for the winner. You'll only have one vote only so please be wise! And as always, please review if you have time. Thank you so much for reading, stay tuned for the next chapter! This is when it gets fun! Byeeee :)**


	10. PART II, The Stage: New and Old

**Sasha Henlin/D2F/15:**

"Want some crumtils?", asks Butter. I look at Kaiser and he doesn't seem to be particularly fond of the growing cakes. "How are they doing that?", I ask Butter as I examine rapidly growing treats. "Let me just say that it's a secret ingredient," she replies as she swoops one up of the table. "Tastes good!", she squeals as she chews it in her mouth, sending slobbery pieces of it onto the table. "Go on! You have to try one!".

I finally agree with her and I pick one up, placing it on the palm of my hand. "Oh my god," I mutter as I watch it start to grow into an odd cylinder shape. "Cool! Huh?", says Butter. I pop it in my mouth before it grows any bigger than and I begin to chew, releasing the crazily sweet flavor from the center. It's almost like eating a bag of sugar, but it doesn't leave a foul taste or tang in my mouth and it doesn't upset my stomach. I swallow down the remains and I express to her how amazing it was; "Give me more!".

After an hour long session of tasting all the different foods on the train with Kaiser, we're showed our bedrooms by Butter. "This is where you will be staying; right next door to Kaiser!", Butter tells me. I push open the door and I can immediately tell how dull the room is. "What's with the grey coloring?", I ask her with a moaning voice. Everything's grey in the room: the wall, the lamps, and even the bed itself! I would have thought that everything would have been much more colorful and bright considering this is a train to the Capitol. There's probably more than fifty shades of grey in here!

"Meet me back at the dining hall in ten minutes!", orders Butter. I nod my head and I slip away into my room, shutting the door behind me. I'm finally away from that freak! I don't think I'll be able to make it to the Games before I murder her.

My bedroom is a small, squashed area with one tiny bed, a small television propped up on the wall and a bathroom at the entrance. Hopefully I'll get a much more extravagant room when I get to the Capitol. Living a life of luxury is certainly going to taint my experience in the Capitol. How am I going to deal with horrible living standards?; a tiny bedroom!

The train comes to a stop and I begin to peer out the window as to why it has. We're at a train stop that's mysteriously quiet and seems to be abandoned. Off in the distance behind the stop, I begin to make out a group of mansions; we're at the stop of the Victor's Village. The train starts moving again so I begin to go back to my own business.

I lay on the bed and I pick up the television remote that sits beside me. I switch on the television and I'm immediately greeted to a shortened rerun of the 98th Hunger Games. I remember watching these Games before and I recall that I was addicted to this year. I watch as the District 2 female chops off the head of a young boy. I remember thinking that that could be me; now it almost is me. I just have to wait another few days before I can run wild in that arena. It's going to go perfectly.

"Sasha!", I hear a muffled but angry voice yell, shortly followed by a series of knocks. Ten minutes must be up. I toss the remote on my bed and I run to the door, purposely not turning off the television. "Sasha! Hurry!", I hear as I approach the door. I unlock the door and I swing it open, revealing the stick figure of Butter. She fiercely grabs onto my hand and whispers into my ear. "We've got a guest!".

* * *

**Kaiser Darius/D2M/17:**

I sit here in dead silence in the dining hall with a middle aged woman sitting in front of me. She's not anything fresh out of the Capitol, but she's not anything fresh out of the other Districts. She has beautiful dark brown hair, diamond blue eyes and a slim body; she must be from District 2. The silence is soon broken by the squealing of Butter. "Oh! Enobaria! Thou art stunning!", she exclaims, "Oh yes! Kaiser and Sasha! This is Enobaria, she will be your mentor!".

Sasha appears from behind Butter and she sits down on the couch beside me.

"I'll leave you three here to discuss!", says Butter. She quickly walks towards a metallic slab on the wall and it opens up, leading her into a long hallway. The metal wedges back together and conceals us in.

"As your escort has explained, my name is Enobaria Golding, victor of the 62nd Games, and I shall be your mentor for the Games," she says calmly. She crosses over her legs and she leans back into the sofa. "So, are you guys volunteers?", she asks. I nod my head, "Yes, I am a volu-"

"Hold up! Guys? I am a female, can you not tell?", growls Sasha. Enobaria leans forward slowly. "Don't speak to your mentor like that," she eerily replies, showing off her sharp pointed teeth. Who do they think I am? They totally ignored me!

"Excuse me? Do not interrupt me while I'm speaking!", I bark at the two ladies, they both turn their heads towards me. "Anyway, you're a volunteer," says Enobaria as she points at me, "and you must also be a volunteer considering you're so vicious and prepared for the Games."

Sasha looks at her with anger. "Vicious?! I-".

"Stop!", yells Enobaria, "We need to talk about the Games."

Who does she think she is? She can't boss me around! I'll try to keep my thoughts to myself just so I don't end up killing anyone. It would be fun to kill these two bitches but that would probably end up with me being banned from the Games. I couldn't have that!

"Any ideas on what the twist will be?", asks Enobaria. I completely forgot about the twist! What will it be? "Maybe the Gamemakers could give us some sort of medicine that makes our skin bleed more when we get injured," I whisper. They both stare at me with odd expressions. "Are you high?", asks Sasha.

"Don't speak to me like that! I'm perfectly low!", I reply. Enobaria interrupts before I get the chance to emotionally break her. "Okay, well I have a bit of advice," she says. Sasha and I turn our heads to her and we start to pay attention again. "You both need to team up in the Games."

Team up? With her? With _it?_ She's completely bonkers! She can't tell me what to do!

Sasha turns her head and looks at me. "I'm fine with that. We'll be able to crush through all the tributes if we pair up," she says to me. "Look, I'll team up with you for the time, but once we get near to the end, our alliance is over," I tell her. She nods at me. "Fine."

Foolish girl! I'll take her out anytime that I please, no one can control me!

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

"Dathan. Eden. Say hello to your mentor!", says Flinka as she walks into the dining hall. She stands away from the door, revealing the muscular and buff man in the hallway. His golden brown hair flops as he walks into the room. Flinka quickly rushes back into the hallway and the huge doors automatically close behind her, leaving us both with the man on our own.

"Hey guys," he confidently says. He walks over to the wooden table that we're seated at and stands at the end of it. "Nervous for the Games?", he asks. We both nod. I think we're both more nervous about him than the Games.

He starts stretching his muscles over the back of his head and starts yawning. "Long day? Is that why you're both so quiet?", he asks. "I guess so," replies Eden.

"Well, tomorrow I have a couple of hours alone with you guys to talk about the Games. Shortly after, this train will arrive at the Capitol and I wont be able to catch up with you guys till later that night," he says. We both nod in union, showing that we understand.

"Oh, and stay off all that fancy food," he urges as he looks down at the table that's piled with exquisite food, "you don't want to go into that arena with a belly on you, know do you?".

He walks towards the exit and turns around to say one last thing. "Only the fittest and strongest will get sponsors," he says, then he lifts his shirt up and shows off his six pack. "Adios."

When I see the doors slide shut, I know it's safe to start talking. "I think I know who that was," I say to Eden. "Whoever it was, he must have been invited to join a career pack in his Games," says Eden. "I've noticed him on Capitol TV way too many times. It has to be him!", I exclaim. "Who is it?", asks Eden. I say his name aloud.

"Finnick Odair."

* * *

**Sarah Harrington/D8F/17:**

I've spent what seems like an hour in this van, wobbling and falling over and over. The van comes to a sudden halt and I fall onto the floor. The two doors swing open and three Peacekeepers pull me outside. I'm expecting to be blinded by the sunlight, but instead I'm blinded by photographers taking pictures. Through all the flashing lights, I see a humongous slick train.

The doors automatically swing open and I'm pushed off the path and into the hallway. The doors swing close and I can instantly feel the warmth. My arms and legs are completely bruised from the van journey and I start to feel relaxed by idle train. "Are you okay?", I hear a calm voice ask. I feel the train starting to move as I tilt my head up off the ground and I see a tall boy with blonde hair.

We exchange eye contact and I peer into his light grey eyes. "I'm fine," I reply with a painful moan. He grabs my hand and helps me up off the floor. "We're you snatched from your family?", he asks. I nod my head. "Same here," he says.

He walks me into a long room filled with various types of food. There's cakes, roast beef, potatoes, lollipops, a chocolate fountain and even more. We sit down onto a comfortable couch and he starts a conversation with me.

"Sarah, is it?", he asks. I nod my head, "And yours?". "The name's Volt. What did you think when you got reaped?", he asks me. "Well I've just been tossed around in the back of a van, I don't want to start being questioned!", I say. "Alright then, I'm sorry for being friendly," he says. He stands up, grabs a glass of some green liquid and leaves the room through a sliding door.

Friendly? More like disrespectful, or maybe even invasion of personal space! So what do I do now? Do I wait for someone to arrive? Should I search the train for someone? That's what I'll do.

I walk up to the door that Volt walked through and it opens up immediately. I step into the dim hallway and the door closes behind me. I walk down the hallway past tons of wooden doors until I see a light at the end of the hall. I approach the light and I see that it's coming from inside an ajar door. I peer through the door and I see an extravagant man wearing odd clothes and a puffy wig talking to a mysterious woman in a black suit.

"She's a troubled one. I was there when we were going to collect her," says the woman, "She tried to escape. We've interviewed her mother and she said that she's awful to have as a daughter." Who is she talking about?

"Krakla, you need to contain her. Make sure she doesn't get out of hand."

The clownish man nods and he pulls open the door. I fall back on the ground and he screams in horror. "Shilp! She's here!", he shouts. The woman rushes over to us and stares in shock at me. The girl they've been talking about is me.

* * *

**Well I really hope you enjoyed that chapter! It was certainly an interesting one! We've had introductions to a few new characters and some old ones; Finnick and Enobaria.**

** In this world, the 75th Hunger Games took place after the second rebellion so Finnick and Enobaria never took part. There were riots during the 74th Hunger Games so when the Capitol announced that previous victors would be going into the 75th Games, that's when District 13 started a rebellion. Katniss and Peeta killed themselves using the Nightlock and Clove won the Games.**

**I hope that cleared up any confusions that you might of had with the plot! I've created a new cover for this story and I will update it as soon as we get to the arena as it has spoilers for the arena :) I'm buzzing with excitement for you guys to find out what the arena is like! As usual, please vote in the poll to crown your victor and please review if you have time. Thank you so much for reading, byeeeee :)**


	11. Near

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

I slowly open my eyes and I'm blinded by the sunlight beaming through the open window. I adjust to the brightness and I look at the clock on my wall; eight-thirty. "Ole," I hear a familiar voice tenderly say. I turn my head to the other direction and I see my mother standing on the right side of the bed. "Mother," I whisper. Suddenly, I hear a creak, then I feel a rumble, and then I'm jerked forward. "Don't worry, the train's just stopping," she says.

I pull back my bed covers and I slide out of bed and over to the window. I feel the fresh air cleanse my lungs when I stick my head outside. We're in the middle of nowhere. There's no timetables, schedules, people or anything; just a broken wooden platform with a bench. I look to the right and I look along the train, and I catch a glimpse of a white boot vanishing into the entrance of the train.

I pull my head back inside and the train suddenly starts moving again. "It was only someone getting on," I say to her as I walk back to my bed. "Don't go, Ole," she says, this time her voice is more stern. "Go where?", I ask her. "Don't go!", she shouts. "What are you talking about?", I ask her, now I'm getting confused. "Don't go!", she screams at the top of her lungs. "Mother, be quiet! People are going to think that there's something wrong," I whisper.

That's when I see a shadow moving under the door. The wooden door swings open and I see the white boots again. I look up at the figure while my mother keeps screaming, and now I see that it's a Peacekeeper. "I said don't go!", she roars as she charges towards me. She grabs onto my arm, but instead of being pulled forward, I'm yanked back towards the wall as the Peacekeeper pulls my mother back.

I watch as the grey wallpaper crumbles down towards the floor, revealing a crystal blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. I'm pulled backwards off my bed and I watch as it quickly turns into a pile of dust. With one huge gust of wind, the dust and the wooden floorboards are blown out of sight, revealing that I'm on a concrete stage. The wall that I'm facing falls towards me, and when it hits me, it explodes into nothingness.

I'm pulled away from the screaming crowd and I watch as my mother is tackled to the ground by the Peacekeeper. "Mother!", I scream when I see her being hit with a whip, this time I can see it in full view. There's no other Peacekeepers here to block my view, I can see the torture and pain being inflicted on her now. "Stop hitting her!", I scream as my surroundings darken. Now I'm in the hallway, and I know what comes next.

I await the doors to swing close, blocking out the sound and the sight of her death, but they don't close. "No!", I yell as the Peacekeeper takes the gun out from his pocket. I try to escape the invisible force's grasp, but I can only try to.

The Peacekeeper raises the gun up and aims it at her forehead. "Don't do it!", I scream in horror. I watch as a small spark explodes from the tip of the gun and as the bullet passes through her head, spraying blood allover the stage and the Peacekeeper's white uniform.

The doors don't budge and the sight of her lifeless body scars my brain. I scream "Mother!" in agony and I watch as the Peacekeeper slowly drags her off the stage and finally out of view. "Mother!". Then the Peacekeeper comes back into my view. He charges towards me with his gun readied. He charges past the doors and raises his gun at my face. I try to escape from the force but I'm too late. The bullet shoots straight through head and I begin to scream in pain.

Everything goes black, but suddenly, everything goes back to light. I jolt up and immediately see Glamour at the end of my bed.

* * *

**Glamour Twinkle/D1F/17:**

"Are you okay?!", I immediately scream the minute I see his eyes open, "You were shouting! I was in a panic!". He sits up in the bed and pushes his long black hair out of his face. "I'm sorry, it was just a nightmare about my mother". I know exactly what he's talking about. I spent all day yesterday with Hamborus trying to calm him down about his mother's death. She went crazy at the Reaping and hopped on the stage to take him back. That's when the Peacekeeper shot her.

He went ahead and watched the Reaping on television to see what had happened. The cameras were still on while she got shot, but they went black shortly after. I feel really bad for him, but I wonder what he's going to be like when he gets into the arena. Should I tell him that we're no longer allies? He does seem pretty mentally unstable, but he's perfect for a partner physically. "Maybe breakfast could lighten you up," I say.

I do my private business in the small bedroom and I tell Ole to not look. They squashed us both into this terrible room because we're the richest District, while the poorer Districts, like eleven and twelve, get amazing rooms. The same system will be put into place when we get to the Capitol too.

When I pull on the handle and shut the door, the handle recognizes my hand print which locks the door automatically. We head to the dining hall and we're greeted by Hamborus and a mysterious man. The man's tan with caramel blonde hair and he looks incredibly strong. "I hope you both got a good sleep, especially you, Ole," says Hamborus with a concerned tone to his voice. I think it's time to tell him.

"He woke me up screaming loudly. He had a nightmare," I say. "What?!", screeches Hamborus in a high pitched voice, "Give me some de-tay-uls!"

"I'm fine, she's just overreacting," says Ole. Overreacting? You were screaming and shouting! How is that overreacting? "Well if that's just the case, then I suppose we better move on," he says calmly. "Say hello to your mentor! This is Gloss Ritchson, victor of the 63rd Games!"

Gloss waves and smiles, showing off his snow white teeth. "I'll leave you all to talk," says Hamborus, and with a "Too-da-loo!", he vanishes through the door. "Sit down, sit down," says Gloss invitingly. We follow him over to the small coffee table and he sits down on a sofa, Ole and I sit on the one opposite to him. "Hamborus told me that your name is Ole, correct?", he asks. Ole nods his head, "Yep!".

"And you're Glimmer?", he asks, now he's pointing at me. "No, it's Glamour," I reply. "Ah, yes! Glamour!", he says in his deep voice. "I couldn't make a proper introduction last night, but today shouldn't be a problem. Lets start!", he says.

"What do you feel most nervous for?"

"Nothing," I reply. "Nothing? Oh come on! I know you're a career, but still! There's got to be something," he says. I shake my head. "Nope, nothing. I'm fearless." Gloss starts to lean forward. "Now, Glamour," he says calmly and quietly, "Tell me some sort of weakness to you. Tell me your worst phobia."

Worst phobia? That's an easy one considering I only have two. "Well, I don't know my worst one," I reply, "but I am quite scared of bugs and bats." Gloss leans into the sofa with a smile, knowing that he's cracked me. "Well done, Glamour. I can tell the very basic forest arenas would be your nightmare. The outdoors would have loads of slugs while deep dark caves would have tons of bats. You better hope that the arena is more artificial, or maybe something completely indoors."

I do hope that the arena is indoors. That way everything will be perfect; no wind, no coldness, no heat, no wild animals. It would be perfect, but I just know that the Gamemakers are going to throw us into some sick and horrific arena that will scar the one victor for life.

"What about you?", he asks, pointing to Ole, "What's your biggest fear?."

"I don't know," mutters Ole quietly, "and I don't care either."

"Now, kid," says Gloss, his voice is more frustrated, "I'm here to teach you guys how to survive, so you need to communicate and cooperate with me or you'll be dead the second that gong goes off in the arena. Tell me; what's your biggest fear?"

Ole pushes his long hair out of his eyes and turns to look at the wall. "Water and spiders," he mutters under his breath. "Water and spiders," Gloss repeats, "well you better wish that you don't get tossed into a pool full of _water spiders_," says Gloss with rage. "Water spiders?", I say confused. "Yes, water spiders. Spiders that can swim in water, never heard of them?", asks Gloss. I shake my head. Imagine being trapped in a box that slowly fills with water and spiders, that sounds terrifying.

"Could Gloss please come to Room 56 now, thank you," calls out a robotic voice from the speaker on the wall. "Oh! Looks like we're going to have to cut it short," he says, "I'll see you both later tonight at dinner in the Capitol after the tribute parade, then we'll continue the discussion."

He gets up out of his seat and heads towards the door. It automatically swings open, but he stops. "Oh, and one last thing," he says, "It's eight-forty five right now, and this train is scheduled to arrive at the Capitol at nine-thirty." Ole and I give each other a stare. We only have forty five minutes! They never warned us!

He continues speaking. "When we arrive, you both need to put on an act for the citizens of the Capitol, especially you, Ole. Glamour, you aren't good enough and Ole, your personality stinks. You better improve or you wont be getting any sponsors."

And with that, he walks out the door and it shuts behind him.

* * *

**Jean Evens/D7M/16:**

"Happy birthday!", I hear a woman squeal from the end of the hallway. I lock my bedroom door and I turn around to see Miravia, my stylist who is always wearing a puffy blue dress.

"Thank you," I say to Miravia, giving her a light hug. Today is my birthday and I'm sixteen. I just hope that that gets me more sponsors in the arena. "Retta is already in the dining hall with your mentor so we better hurry," she says calmly. She grabs my hand and sprints with me down the narrow hallway, either that or her dress is just way too big.

The door opens up for us and we charge into the dining hall to see the woman sitting down with Retta. "Bye Jean!", says Miravia as she runs back through the door, leaving me here with the two women.

"And your name is?", the tall slim woman asks. "Jean, and what's your name?", I ask her. Her dark brown eyes give me a murderous stare. "Just call me J," she says. "What's your problem?", I ask her, she is being very rude to me after all. "Excuse me? I am a victor of the Hunger Games; I know how to chop off a few heads," she threatens me. "I'm the mentor, so you have to listen to _me._ Get over here and listen. You want to win, don't you?".

I walk over to the girls and I raise my hand, "Shake?". She grabs my hand and shakes it up and down. "What's your favorite weapon?", she asks devilishly. "Well, I am good with an axe. I've been chopping down trees for my whole life," I reply.

"Retta says she's great with an axe too," says J, "I won my Games by.. I won my Games with an axe." I notice that she startled, but it wasn't just a wrong word or anything, she acted horrified by something, her eyes began to stare at the wall behind us. She's obviously a bit coo-coo.

She quickly snaps out of her trance. "Both of you kids just need to be yourself when you get off this train. Even if you're a cruel, selfish and heartless bastard, the people will still like you because you're being yourself. I suppose that's how I got my four sponsors."

"Any advice about the careers? Have you spotted them yet?", asks Retta. "Well that's your job to go and watch the Reapings. You do have a flat-screen in your rooms, don't you?", replies J.

"Besides that, you guys are tough enough to beat the careers. They don't have a chance," says J. "Well, I already knew that. I know I'm tough enough," says Retta. "No, you've got it wrong. _We're _tough enough, she meant both of us," I bitterly reply.

"But what if I think that you're weak? By what I've noticed from you so far, you're going to be dead in that bloodbath when the Games finally start!", she pipes. "Hold on! Are you saying that you're going to kill me?", I ask. "It could have sounded like that, but I'm not sure. Someone might have already done it within the first five seconds!", she says and then begins to chuckle.

That's when I punched her in the face. "Hey!", screams J as she pushes me away from Retta. Retta's rage takes over her and she ducks under J's arm and tackles me to the ground. I watch as J pulls on her ponytail and pulls her off of me. J pulls out a knife from her pocket and holds it up to Retta's throat.

"I'll have you both killed before you even make it to that arena! Don't try and have a fight while I'm around!", she roars, "Now both of you go to your rooms! I don't want to see you until after the parade!".

And with that she escorts us both to our rooms. I'm going to kill that Retta bitch the second that gong goes off. I'm coming.

I wait in my room and I watch the Reapings on TV until I hear a loud screech. Suddenly, I bounce forward and I know that the train has stopped. I begin to walk towards the window when I hear Miravia calling my name from outside. "Get out here right now!", she screams.

I pull back the curtain and I'm surprised by a screaming and joyful face at the window. The wild man bangs against the glass and I begin to make out where we are. I see the crowds of clownish civilians charging over towards me, screaming and cheering loudly.

I'm in the Capitol.

* * *

**Yes yes yes! I'm so excited right now! We're finally in the Capitol, now it's time for the countdown to the Games! What did you think of this chapter? We've had the introduction to three new characters; Gloss, Miravia and J! As always, please vote for your winner on my profile and please review if you have time! The voting will close once we get to the Games, but it will reopen once we get to the final five! **

**Thank you so much for reading this chapter, stay tuned for the next chapter which will be set in the Capitol! Byeeeee :)**


	12. The Parade

**Daniel Arthurness/D3/12:**

"Everyone, here are the tributes for District 3 along with their mentor!", I hear from the speakers outside the train. "Hold hands while you walk out," our mentor tells us, still not knowing his name. "You still haven't told us your name," I say. "It doesn't matter.." he moans. Suddenly, the train doors slide open and we're left to face the screaming crowds.

I grab onto Lucy's hand and we step off onto the platform. "Daniel!", I hear a woman scream. "There's the male tribute!", I hear another one scream. This is vile. There's tons of crazed lunatic cheering me on, knowing that I'm going to die soon. I'm only a regular kid, why are they going to psycho? Good thing that there's barriers containing them all, otherwise I'd probably be savaged.

Lucy and I walk through the closed-off pathway while everyone pushes their arms out as far as they can reach, desperately trying to touch us. We get to the end of the path and we're greeted by a fancy black limousine. A Peacekeeper opens the door and lets our mentor, Lucy and I inside. The Peacekeeper shuts the door and I immediately notice the bars blocking us off from the driver. "Are we being arrested?", I joke, but no one finds it funny. The driver refuses to speak or look us in the eye, our mentor is always sad and complaining, and Lucy is extremely shy and nervous. Why do I have to spend my last few days alive with these people?

As we drive off into the distance, I look through the back window and I watch as the barriers slowly lower into the ground, letting the crowds free and letting them chase us. The car drives through the Capitol city and I see why I'm right to hate them; Everyone is wearing all sorts of bizarre clothes and shiny jewelry on every street, all the buildings are towering up into the clouds and there's even a few poodles that are dyed purple.

The car turns around into a deserted street that comes to a dead end. The car begins to speed up and I soon realize that we're going to head straight into wall. The driver quickly hits a button on the center of the steering wheel and suddenly, the wall opens up a secret passage way. We drive straight into the room, plunging us in complete darkness.

The driver stops the car and two Peacekeepers open the door beside me. They pull us out of the car and the room suddenly lights up. The room is covered with metal slabs and there seems to be a long tunnel connected to one of the walls. The car turns around, almost knocking us over and drives back outside, most likely to collect the other set of tributes. The Peacekeepers usher us forward and we begin to walk into the dark tunnel.

The long hallway lights up with flashing arrows pointing forwards. "Where are we going?", I ask the group. The Peacekeepers refuse to answer while Lucy and our mentor just look at me nervously. I look on and I see a light coming from the end of the tunnel. We reach the end and we enter a horizontal hallway of Peacekeepers, nurses and doctors. "District 3?", a man in a white jacket asks us. Lucy and I nod our heads. "And you're the mentor?", he asks as he points at our mentor. "Yes", he replies. "Good", the man says, "the Peacekeepers will bring you to the Prep Hall, the tributes can follow me".

Lucy and I follow the mysterious man through various hallways and rooms, walking past young kids lying on beds. Then I recognize who the kids are; they're tributes. I recall seeing them on the television on the train, but there's only four of them. I look at one of them on his bed and I know his name; Kaiser. He's the boy from District 2. He stares at me menacingly so I turn my head and I continue following the man.

"Daniel," he says, already knowing my name, "hop up on this bed and wait for someone to come." I do as I'm told and I wave goodbye to Lucy, but she just looks at me and doesn't respond. The more I spend my time with Lucy, the more I get suspicious of her. I understand that this whole experience is nerve-wracking, but seriously, she should have a bit of respect to talk to me. There's only three reasons as to why she's not talking; she's either shy, she doesn't like me or she is plotting my death in the arena.

* * *

**Lucy Voltzer/D3F/16:**

I'm pretty happy that I'm away from him now. I kind of felt odd talking to someone so much younger than me. "Lucy, sit up here," he says as he taps on the bed. "Just wait here for your assistants to come." My assistants? What does he mean by that?

I prop my self up on the bed and I cross over my legs as I look at the other four tributes being medically treated. I wonder what they're doing to Daniel. There's a big stone wall in between us, but I did see some man rush in with a syringe. I hope that they don't wreck me.

Suddenly, out from the curtain behind me, a young and attractive man steps out wearing nothing but underwear. "Hello Lucy", he says calmly, "I'm Yorkmonford Gradezzle, you can just call me York." He sits himself up on the end of my bed and he gingerly runs his fingers through his dark brown hair. "I'm your mentor," he says as I stare into his sea blue eyes. I manage to stop my eyes inspecting his ripped body as he continues the conversation. "I won the 95th Games, but don't worry, I wasn't the violent type."

I try to make myself seem interested in the conversation so I start speaking. "I remember watching you push the final tribute into the lava pool. You were certainly a brave person," I say. He starts to chuckle. "Yeah.. I felt bad but he was pretty ugly," he says. Let me just tell you that this guy is extremely cocky and vain.

"So why are you naked?", I ask. He looks down at himself. "Oh! I completely forgot. Uh, I don't know why I'm naked, I suppose I like the fact that I feel free while I am," he replies. I can't really understand this guy. He's mysterious, weird, a bit goofy, vain but he's really cute.

"Well I better get going," he says, "see ya." He walks around the stone wall and he's out of my sight. I finally feel comfortable now. Talking isn't my favorite thing to do, I hate it. I always feel compressed and I feel like I'm shrinking. The interviews are certainly going to be hell.

I wait on the bed for a few minutes until I see two women a man heading in my direction. "Are you Lucy?!", an abnormally thin and tall woman with spiky green hair asks. I shyly nod my head. Oh no. These people are talkers, I can tell.

"Oh my!", the small plump man screeches, "She's hideous!". So now they're insulting me? Okay. "Don't overreact! She's quite fabulous actually!", the bald woman with freakish illuminated neon yellow eyes says. They start to circle around my bed and begin poking and feeling me. "Oh, we better tell you our names!", the bald woman says, "I'm Juliek!".

The other woman pulls off my shoes and my socks. "And I'm Pond!", she shrieks as she pulls my toes. "And my name is Frolap," the man says in a disappointed tone while he looks at my fingernails.

"All together now," says Juliek. "And we are," they all chime together, "your," they stop and begin to stomp their feet, making a drum roll, "assistants!".

* * *

**Erenis Gader/D5F/15:**

"This may hurt, but please try and stay still," says Bromley, my assistant. I lay flat on the bed and she starts to yank my hair back into some sort of machine. "This will make your hair longer," she says as she pushes a button on her remote control. I hear the machine starting to rumble, and suddenly, I feel my hair being pulled mercilessly.

I let out a painful scream but screaming doesn't make it stop. I think my head's bleeding so I continue screaming. "Don't worry, Erenis. It will be over soon!", shouts Bromely as she holds me down onto the bed. She turns off the machine and I immediately turn my head to see what damage has been done. There's only a couple of hairs caught in the machine so I begin to believe her that I look great.

The next couple of hours consist of getting measured, waxed, drowning myself in some sort of mysterious brown goo, plucking my eyebrows, getting covered in spray tan and all while I'm _completely_ naked. Completely.

"You look stunning!", she shrieks, "You might be the best looking tribute yet!". She ushers me away down various hallways and into a dimly lit room with a bed and a steel wardrobe. "Stay here, your stylist will be here soon," she says. She pushes a button on the wall, which triggers the glass light on the ceiling to glow an electric blue light, and she leaves the room. I lay on the bed for a couple of minutes until I hear the door opening.

"Hello, hello?", I hear a feminine voice whisper. I tilt my head up and I see the crazy woman peeking through the door. "Are you Erenis?", she asks. "Yes," I silently reply, trying to match her quiet tone. "Well! Hello Erenis!", she screams as she charges in the room. I'm immediately taken aback by her odd clothing; a small orange tank top that ends halfway up her stomach and is covered in spikes and a pair of red shorts that appear to have golden strings hanging from the rim. Don't get me started on her makeup.

Her whole face is completely covered in blue paint and she has specks of glitter around her lips and her eyes. I also forgot to mention that her hair is tied into a basket shape. "I love your style," I lie. "Thank you! Everyone does! That's why I'm a stylist! My name is Herenda!", she says. Oh god.. What is she going to put me into?

"Now, we have to discuss the parade tonight. I have an amazing costume designed for you, it's in the wardrobe," she says. "How did you make it so quickly? How do you know what size I am? How-"

"Shush! It's okay! I've got it sorted. Your assistant measured you up and she gave me the measurements while you were bathing in the Nolumax, that's the gooey stuff. Okay?". Not okay, how did she make it so quick?

"But how is it done already?", I ask. "Well I already had the costume designed. All I had to do was enter your measurements into my special machine and.. BAM! The dress was made!", she explains, "Just go check it out!".

I walk over to the wardrobe and I slowly begin open the door. "Go on..", she whispers. This is it. What skimpy outfit has she got for me? I hope it doesn't show too much..

I swing open the door and I see it hanging from a clothes hanger; a beautiful golden dress with around fifteen crystal orbs placed all over. "What do you think?", she asks. "It's beautiful," I reply. But it _is _beautiful, I'm not lying. I'm certainly going to shine during that parade.

* * *

**Tranthan Aileys/D5M/16:**

"Both of you, turn around," orders Herenda, "The parade is starting in a minute or two so I better get you both sparked up." What does this fool mean? "Sparked up?", I say in a confused tone. "Don't worry," she says while she fiddles with something on my back, "Almost.. done.. Done!".

Suddenly, I lightly feel an odd sensation fill through my body. "You can turn back around," she says. I twist my head and I immediately see what she done. All over Erenis's dress, streaks of electricity are zapping out from the glass balls to another one.

"Oh my god," mutters Erenis, "Look at yourself." I look down at my costume that's the same as Erenis's except I'm wearing pants instead of a dress, and I watch as the bolts of energy flicker around my body. "That's only the beginning," says Herenda, "Push this button when you get halfway out there." She hands me a tiny controller that's hooked up to the back of my costume. "What will it do?", I ask. "Something..", she eerily replies. "All tributes, please step into your chariots!", I hear a voice call out around the hall.

Herenda escorts us over to our golden chariot and it seems that we'll be in the middle of the parade. Everyone else is full of colors and lights. I see the District 4 tributes wearing some sort of shell head piece with fish scales all over their bodies; weird. I also see the District 10 tributes wearing cowboy hats, a cow bell and a white costume with black spots; once again, weird.

"Hold on tight," she says. Erenis and I step up onto the sturdy platform and we grab onto the steel bars on either side. "Remember to smile!", she squeals. And with the sounds of the Capitol anthem and the start of the loud cheers, I see that the District 1 tributes are already outside.

The horses start pulling are chariot and I begin to hear the screams getting louder. "Hold hands," whispers Erenis. "No, get away!", I say. She gives me an unimpressed look and she moves her hand away from me. Here we go..

The chariot is outside and I see the crowds of thousands of Capitol citizens. "And here comes the District 5 tributes!", I hear a voice call out around the runway. I think I should press the button now..

I press the button and I await for the surprise to happen, but nothing changes. "It didn't work," I say to Erenis who's waving at the crowds. "Do it again," she says while still containing her smile on her face. I touch it again but nothing happens. It must be faulty. I hit the button against the steel bar on the chariot and press it again. Nothing happens.

This is it! It has to work! I slam it against the steel bar, and I don't remember fully what happened, but I do recall seeing the electricity bolt along the bar and mercilessly shock Erenis and I.

"What's happening there?", I hear the voice call out around the walkway. I instantly collapse and I fall onto the base of the chariot and I see Erenis fall too. My bare hand touches off her electric dress and I begin to get shocked relentlessly. I feel every bone in my body aching and I instantly black out.

After that, I remember seeing the Peacekeepers rushing towards us and I remember as I feel them tampering with the switch on my back. Then I see President Snow sitting up on the balcony as I'm pulled into a dark room underneath him.

I slowly open my eyes after the incident and I'm lying in a bed. "How do you feel?", a soft woman asks me. She stands by my bedside and leans down towards me. "I feel okay. What happened?".

"You were electrocuted during the Reaping. We've checked you and you seem to have no serious injuries, the electricity wasn't real but it still knocked you out. But do not fret, we've taken care of your stylist."

"What do you mean 'taken care of my stylist?'", I ask.

"Well," she begins, "Snow has taken care of her. He made her go to sleep."

* * *

**Cliff-hang-ah! So what did you think of this chapter? The Games are approaching... are you excited? BECAUSE I'M EXCITED! :D ****I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did or didn't, please explain why in a review! :)**

**I can't wait for you all to read the next chapter because we'll be getting closer towards the Games! What do you think the twist will be? Who do you think will be a bloodbath victim? Who do you think will win? Who do you _want _to win? Let me know and please vote for the winner in the poll on my profile! As always, thank you so much for reading! It really inspires me to continue writing and it really makes me happy to know that there's people out there who like my odd creations! Thank you so much! Byeeeee :)**


	13. Training

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

When I wake up, I immediately get changed into the black clothes that I was given from Finnick, my mentor, and I head straight out of my bedroom and down to the dinning room. "Eden!", squeals Flinka, my escort, "I see that you're in your training outfit! Get some breakfast and we'll head down to training once Dathan gets up!".

I sit at the table with Flinka and Finnick while we dive into some delicious foods. "So, what happened last night?", asks Finnick while he pours a rich chocolate sauce over his pancakes. "Some sort of costume malfunction for the District 5 tributes," explains Flinka as she takes off her itchy wig and flings it across the room, letting her short grey hair fall out.

"Well, it doesn't matter now," says Finnick, "they killed the stylist." Flinka slams her cup of coffee on the table, splashing half of it all over the food. "They what?!", she screeches. "That's what I heard. She's nowhere to be found," says Finnick. The table goes awkwardly quiet. "So how was your stylist?", asks Finnick, trying to break the silence. "He was crazy," I begin, "but at least the outfit was nice."

"I liked it too," I hear someone say. I turn around in my seat and I see Dathan standing at the door wearing his training outfit. "Want some berries?", Finnick asks him, "They're a great little snack and it's good to get you eating healthy for the Games." Dathan walks over to us and sits down beside me. "No, I'm fine," Dathan replies, "I'll stick to the chocolate crumtils".

Finnick chuckles and he lifts up a lid revealing the slowly growing cakes, "Go ahead, but remember to put the lid back on to stop the air getting at them. That's what causes them to grow." I watch as Flinka slams the lid back down. "It's not healthy! Eating one of the tiny things will give you all the sugars and fats of a full sized cake! Eat the berries! Listen to your mentor!".

I've never saw Flinka this angry before, it's quite an odd sight. "Woah! It's okay, it was just a suggestion," says Finnick, "how many bottles of wine did you go through last night?". Flinka begins to creepily laugh. "Nine!", she screams. Oh god. "I think we better go to training now," I say. "She's right," says Dathan. Finnick looks disappointed as he only managed to eat one of his pancakes. "Fine! Lets go."

Finnick orders the drunken Flinka to stay up here in the apartment while he brings us down to training. We step in the lift and he hits the "Under-Six" button. "Hold on tight," he says. He grabs onto the bar that rings around the elevator and I do the same, just so I know I'm safe. The elevator drops down at the speed of light for about five seconds and abruptly comes to a stop. "Can we do that again?", Dathan asks.

"Go through them doors and you'll know where to go," says Finnick as he steps back into the elevator. "Bye!", he says. The doors shut and I watch as he speeds up into the air until I can no longer see him. "Lets go in," I say to Dathan.

I push open the door and we step into the dim, dark gymnasium. I see the group full of tributes surrounding a young, black haired woman. "You're late!", I hear the District 2 male scream at us. "Late?", whispers Dathan. "Get your asses over here!", I hear the woman scream.

We sprint across the bare concrete floor and we make it over to the group. "Now that we're all here," begins the woman, "my name is Ziddea and I am your training coach." Everyone stares at her in awe, especially the careers, because they know that she can lead them to victory.

"This year in training, we're going to completely change the rules," she says. "You all shall pick out ten trials and practice them one by one today, and after you've finished them all, you shall pick one of them to show off to the Gamemakers." She then proceeds to point over to the other end of the gym, and then we all see them sitting and chatting behind a glass wall.

"They'll rate your performance on a scale of 1-12, and soon after, your scores will be broadcast on live television," she continues.

"I recommend that you push yourself to your bodies' limits in the physical sections, but don't forget to try out the survival sections too. According to calculations using data of the previous Games, you have more of a chance to die of natural causes. Learning how to tie a basic knot could mean a lot in the arena," she says. She turns around and pushes a button on the wall. "Look," Dathan says. I hear various mechanical noises, and when I turn around, I see something crazy. I watch as various weapons and obstacles rise into the room from the floor and suddenly, the walls slide opening revealing different training sectors.

"Your ten hours start now."

I immediately barge through the crowd until I get to the District 1 and 2 tributes. They all turn to look at me when I begin to ask them the question. "Can I form an alliance with you guys?".

* * *

**Retta Coppen/D7F/17:**

"Try and decapitate the head. Any other body parts will count as a fail. Time starts now," a robotic voice explains. The glass door shuts and I'm left in a big room filled with slopes, stairs, two floors and different obstacles.

I raise my axe and I hold it up, waiting for the first dummy to arrive. I see the figure appear on the second floor, but it's not a test dummy, it's an orange cubical figure. It twists it's head and when it sees me, it starts running for it's "life".

I sprint up the steps, up onto the second floor, and I sprint down the long walkway. The figure jumps over the artificial lava pit and it stands on the other side. Without thinking, I jump over the edge, but while I'm halfway over, it pushes me down into the pit. Good thing that the fall isn't too long. The second I hit the lava, it disappears and I'm left on the floor without any injuries. Then the robotic voice comes back on again. "Game over. Try again."

I walk back to the entrance with my axe and I hit the "retry" button on the floating hologram. Just as I'm about to turn back around, I see the orange figure's reflection in the glass door. "Come on..", I silently whisper to myself. It charges at me and I swing my axe around at it's neck. My axe chops through his neck and I watch as it's head disconnects from it's body and it suddenly disappears in thin air.

"Success," I hear the voice say as the room lights up with a neon green glow. The glass door slides open and I walk out after I place my axe back on the tray. One down, nine more to go.

I look out around the gym and I see all the tributes working away relentlessly. The careers are bunched over at the rock climbing section with that District 4 girl. It's strange that they'd pair up with her so quickly like that. She must be powerful.

"Tried out the axes yet?", I hear a voice ask me. I turn around to see Jean. "Yeah, I only failed once but then I completed it," I say. "I think I should try it after you," he replies. "Oh, no," I begin, "I'm finished here."

He gives me a small smile. "Thank you," he says as he walks into the trial room, followed by the glass door shutting behind him. Where should I go now? I look around the expansive room to find that nearly everything is in use apart from a few survival sections. I guess I should learn how to light a fire.

I walk past the tributes and I examine every action that they make. I watch as Glamour, the girl from District 1, pierces her knives straight through the air, lodging themselves in the test dummies heads which is shortly followed by claps from her allies. I pass through the rope climbing section and I see Eden, the girl from District 4, shoot and arrow straight at a target, landing a perfect bullseye.

All these tributes are highly skilled, I haven't noticed one of them have a flaw with anything, and I know that they're all going to turn crazy once we all rise up into that arena. All hell will break loose then. We've only got the training session in a few hours, the results later tonight, the interview tomorrow night and then the Games will begin the next morning. What am I trying to win to Games for? To go back to my family? They can't make a victor turn into a slave, can they? We'll be rich enough to hire a maid to do it all.

After all, it would be a great story to tell the whole nation during the victor's interview; I, Retta Coppen, stuck up with crap all my life, but I rose from the ashes and I won the Hunger Games. Everyone would root for an underdog. I'd finally experience what it feels like to be loved.

* * *

**Ash Slate/D12M/16:**

"Try and kill the five simulations. Time starts now," says a voice from the speakers. "You can do it Ash!", I hear Charm cheer from outside the glass door. I clench the machete in my fist, ready for any attackers. Suddenly, an orange holographic man forms right in front of my eyes. "Kill it!", shouts Charm.

I charge at the figure and I swipe my machete straight through it's head and I watch as the body crumbles into tiny cubes and instantly vanishes. I continuously turn around in the middle of the room, scanning the two floors for any more simulations. Then I see the knife heading towards me. I duck without hesitation and I watch as it hits the wall and falls to the floor. I get up and then I see the figure charging towards me.

I run at it and I stab my machete through it's stomach and I watch as the particles dissolve into the air. I hear the electric sound of the simulated tribute and I immediately swing around and cut at the figure. I didn't even have any time to see it, but I did see a few of the cubes disappear.

I see the final two simulations running around on the second floor. I rush up the stairs onto the next level and I see one of them standing at the end of a long platform. It begins to charge at me and I vaguely see the hatchet in it's hands. When it comes close enough, I toss my machete and I watch as it blasts through it's body, sending the figure to crumble away.

I rush over to my weapon to pick it up, but I'm suddenly shoved to the ground. I roll over to see the final simulation hovering over me with a dagger. It tries to stab my face but I roll over again just before he lands the hit. I grab onto my machete and I ram it into the side of it's head. The man breaks into tiny cubes and he vanishes away, letting the machete fall into thin air.

I head back to the entrance and I place the weapon back on a steel tray. "Success," I hear the voice call out. The room starts glowing green and I instantly know that that was my best skill so far. I tried making a fire and setting up a snare, and I passed the tasks, but the problem is that using those skills might lower the Gamemaker's expectations of me. I need to show them something that will make them let me live for a bit longer, and the machete is perfect for that.

"All five!", exclaims Charm, "You're truly fantastic!". I

"Thank you," I reply to her, "do you want to try it out?". She makes a puzzled expression. "Me? Can't you tell that I'm not the physical type?". "You would be great at hiding considering your so small," I say and I begin to laugh. "I actually would," she says, clearly not offended, "we should do that right now. There is a camouflage section, y'know?".

Charm and I spend the next couple of hours at the camouflage area, painting an arm each to blend in with the rocky slab that's on display. "It looks terrible," I say as I stare at my arm with disappointment. It would actually make myself more visible with this paint on.

I look at Charm's arm and I'm pleasantly surprised by her work. "Do you do art in school?", I ask her. "Yep," she replies. "Well, that's absolutely amazing," I say in pure awe of her work. "Thanks, but I don't think I can kill anyone with paint," she says. "Well you could poison someone. I'm pretty sure paint isn't a safe thing to drink, or maybe you could drown someone in a bucket full of it," I say. She begins to let out a quiet giggle which leads to an unstoppable laugh. "Drown someone in paint?", she laughs, "There'll certainly be paint at the Cornucopia just for that!".

The more I spend time with Charm, the more she begins to charm me. I don't know what's going to happen in that arena between us two, but I do know that I have to keep her alive. She's my only hope. I know that she wont try and back stab me, she's not that type of person. No one could ever put on a friendly act for this long. I dread the day that I get killed or the day that I have to kill her.

* * *

**It's getting more and more intense... What did you think of this chapter? Please let me know in a review! Also, please vote for the winner in the poll on my profile! To everyone who has already voted: you can now vote again! I'm going to change it so now everyone gets TWO VOTES (unless you've already voted, then you only get one)!**

** I'm going to continue doing this throughout this series so that way more tributes will have a chance of placing higher. I can officially confirm that there is a clear winner so far. Is it a good winner? Sure. I'm a bit confused though as to why this person has a big lead ahead considering they haven't done too much so far.. But it could all change! I'll be posting the voting statistics in the final chapter of the series!  
**

**I can also confirm that the first chapter of the Games are scheduled to be released on... NOT TELLING YOU! It's some time this week! **

**I really, really, REALLY hope that you're as excited as I am for the start of the Games on Fri- OOPS! Anyway, I hope you're as excited as I am for the Games because I think that it's going to really push this story up into space! And just to remind anyone who has forgotten, the Quarter Quell twist still hasn't been revealed! When will it be revealed? What is it? Oh oh oh! All these questions are getting me excited! If you guess what the twist is in a review before the Games start, I'll give a tribute of your choice some sort of advantage. It may be some sort of good start in the Games; no injuries, lots of food and weapons, or it could be something like an extra three votes.**

**Are you excited? The Puppetmaster is about to pull the tributes' strings... Are you prepared for mayhem? I'm actually buzzing with excitement! I could go on all day about how excited I am, but I shall end it here.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, please vote in the poll with your EXTRA VOTE and leave a review with your thoughts and the prediction of the twist! It's going to be a hard one to guess, so I'm prepared for no one to guess it, but I will be doing lots more questions like these throughout the Games which will give advantages to your tribute! (But remember this: bloodbath character's votes will not be counted, they will still die!)**

**Thank you so much for reading this, BYEEEE :)**

**(Did you know that I'm excited for the Games? IKR! Plot twist!)**


	14. Training Sessions

**Glamour Twinkle/D1F/17:**

"Glamour Twinkle, District One," I hear a woman's voice call out through the speakers. "Just show them that you're not here to play around," says Ole. "You bet I will," I reply. I stand up off the steel bench and I walk past the other tributes and out the door. This is no time to be fearful, I need to be brave. I _am brave. "_Elbow slightly pointed, then throw," is what Kaiser explained to me yesterday. His words jump around in my brain; _elbow slightly pointed, then throw._

I walk through the tunnel and I step into the empty gymnasium. I power walk determined over to the steel tray and I look up at the Gamemakers having a party in a separate room. The glass wall slowly lowers in front of them. "Glamour, you may begin now," a pointy bearded man tells me just before he takes a sip of something that looks like wine. I grab a knife off the tray and I turn to face the target. Maybe axe throwing was a better option, but there's no changing now. No! Not now! I must concentrate. This is the right skill, I just have to focus to let my power shine.

"Elbow slightly pointed," I whisper to myself as I raise it up, "then throw." As I was thought to do by Kaiser, I shoot the knife through the air and I watch as it lodges into the red ring beside the center. "Crap!", I mutter to myself. I was so close!

I grab the second knife from the tray and I aim again. With my elbow slightly pointed, I throw the knife, but this time it pierces through the air more quickly. Once again, it lands in the red ring, this time on the upper left side. It was a powerful shot, I'm actually surprised that it didn't get a bullseye. Based on those two shots, I'm likely to get a high score. But I don't want just any high score, I want a twelve. I'm guessing that twelve only goes to three bullseyes on all of the shots.

I pick up the third and final knife and I relax my tense muscles. "Breathe," I whisper to myself. I feel in a good state to start throwing, so I begin to aim my knife. "Elbow slightly pointed," I hear Kaiser say to me in my mind, "then throw." I slightly point my elbow and I aim my knife.

"Three," I think to myself. "Two", I'm perfectly calm and ready to throw. "One". I send the knife flying through the air and it lodges directly into the center with a loud thud. Bullseye!

"Thank you very much, you may leave now," says one of the Gamemakers and I begin to hastily walk to the exit.

* * *

**Mazie Rice/D9F/16:**

"Mazie Rice, District Nine," is called out through the speakers. The remaining tributes stare at me with anxious faces. "Good luck Mazie, just try your best," says Bayley. I simply smile at him because I don't want anyone else to hear me speaking.

I walk into the training area and I see the base of the fire. I stroll up to it and I'm greeted by the Gamemakers. "Mazie, you can start now," says one of them. How am I going to do this? I was terrible at everything yesterday but I still had to pick something. I ended up picking the fire starter skill, even though I'm still clueless about it. I read the instructions at the station but I just couldn't get one started. I'm screwed.

I pick up two of the sticks on the floor and I begin rubbing them together slowly. I peer my eyes up and I see the Gamemakers staring me down. I have to impress them somehow. Can they even give me a zero?

I regain my concentration and I see that I've been rubbing them together ferociously. I begin to notice a spark forming so I start rubbing the sticks together under the pile of wood. I spend minutes trying to catch a flame with no hope. Then an idea bounces around in my head.

I drop the sticks and I sprint over to the traps section. In this area, there's tons of different things to teach you how to trap other tributes. I grab the bucket full of gasoline and I sprint back over to the fire, trying not to let any of it spill.

"Ms. Rice, you're not allowed to touch that," says a Gamemaker. What can they do? Kill me? That wont matter because either way I'll be dead in a few days. I pour the gasoline all over the base of the fire and I begin relighting the sticks. I look back up at the Gamemakers and they seem to be laughing at me. "Who cares, it's her fault," I hear one of them say.

I look down at the sticks and I see another spark. I continue rubbing them together and I eventually get a tiny flame on one of the sticks. I look at it in awe. I finally did it! I couldn't even get this far yesterday! I did it! But I don't have a fully lit fire yet, I need to let it grow.

I slowly lower the stick down onto the wet pile of wood, but I'm suddenly blown backwards. I watch as the fire rises up and explodes into my face, setting my clothes alight. I feel my skin starting to burn and I feel like I'm slowly dying. I try to run, but I can't get up. I see the Peacekeepers rushing over to me, but soon enough I black out.

* * *

**Roscoe Tarpan/D10M/17:**

Bayley is called out to the training session shortly after we all hear the screams of pain, soon to be followed by Maddie. I sit in the room with only four tributes left, waiting nervously for my private session to begin. "Roscoe Tarpan, District Ten."

After they announcing my name on the speaker, I walk into the empty gymnasium and I see my equipment lying on the ground. I stroll over and the Gamemakers tell me that I can start.

I get down on my knees and I begin working on my trap. It should take no longer than five minutes which is the exact amount of time that we get. I start tying the ropes around the trap and... almost done... pull this and.. done!

"I'm finished," I say to the Gamemakers. Suddenly, one of the Gamemakers throws an apple at me. "Test it," he says. I pick up the apple and aim it on the ground, hoping that it works. I wont have enough time to rebuild it if it doesn't work, it's now or never.

I roll the apple by the trap and I watch as the razor claws pop out and crush the apple into bits. "You may leave now, but make sure you don't walk past that thing," a Gamemaker says. I think that's the head Gamemaker, his name is Fraux I think. I watched his interview with Caesar Flickerman last night after the parade in my room. He stares at me and his eyebrows turn angry and pointed.

Frightened by his presence, I immediately walk out the exit where I'm greeted by Shaniqua Franquiqua, my buzzing escort.

* * *

**Ole Beyon/D1F/18:**

"Now I shall begin," says Caesar Flickerman. "Pipe it down, you lot!", Hamborus screams at Gloss, Glamour and I, even though we're not talking. "Ladies first," continues Caesar, "In District 1, we have Glamour Twinkle...".

The whole room goes so silent that you could hear a pin drop. "...ten."

Hamborus screams as loud as a man could possibly scream, but in a feminine tone. "Pipe it down!", Gloss jokes. Of course they'd all start talking when my score is about to be announced. "Shush! We need to hear Ole's score!", shouts Glamour who's trying to hold in her joy. "Ole Beyon... another ten." Looks like my martial arts practice paid off.

Hamborus lets out that scream again. "You both got a ten! Well done!", he exclaims. "Why don't we continue watching?", asks Gloss, "It would be good to find out how strong some of the tributes are."

"I agree," I say. "Fine! It better be over quick because we need to get the party started soon!", says Hamborus.

We watch the program for the next few minutes, examining every tribute. Kaiser got an eleven, Sasha got a ten and our new ally, Eden, got a ten also. "So everyone in your alliance got a ten except for Kaiser, who got eleven, right?", asks Gloss. "Yep," Glimmer and I both say in unison. "Panem are going to love you while the other tributes will fear you," says Gloss. He's right, the tributes will fear us. We shall inflict fear and pain on every single one of them. They better watch out because we're going to run wild in that arena.

"So, what do you guys think the twist will be?", Glamour asks us. The room falls silent for a moment of thinking. "What if there's no Cornucopia?", I ask. Everyone looks at me with blank expressions. "That.. but... wa-", begins Hamborus, "Yes! That is amazing! It must be it!"

"That's a very wise guess," says Gloss, "but I don't think that the Gamemakers would do something like that. Where would everyone get weapons?". Fair point, but I'm still betting on no Cornucopia.

Suddenly, we all hear a knock on the door. "It is I!", I hear a man shout from outside. Gloss gets up out of his seat and walks towards the door. When he opens the door, Velga, our stylist, is standing there.

"Hamborus!", she squeals. "Helga!", Hamborus squeals back. He jumps up out of his seat and wobbles in his high heels over to Helga. They lean in for a hug, both of them trying not to smudge their makeup.

"Glamour! Ole! You both got a ten! Well done!", Helga shouts. "Thanks," Glimmer replies. "Well! I've come here to discuss the interview outfit!", she exclaims. I totally forgot about the interviews. It will be the last thing I do before going to the Games. I'm not going to act, I'm just going to be myself. Either way, people will like me know matter what I say. I did get a ten after all. But people will like me even more when I win the Games, and I know that I will.

* * *

**Well! We're so close to the Games! Are you excited? The next chapter is going to be about the interviews and the chapter after that will be the pre-Games, but on Friday, you guys are going to get the Cornucopia/Bloodbath/Start of the Games! **

**I really hope that you guys are excited, and if you are, please leave a review! Also, what do you think the twist will be? The person who guesses it right and PM's me or writes it in a review shall get to give and extra three votes to any tribute! :)**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for reading! It really makes me happy to see people continue to read this story day after day! Thank you so much, byeeeee :)**


	15. Interviews

**Daniel Arthurness/D3/12:**

"Shall we bring out the next tribute?!", I hear Caesar shout. I just have to stay strong and impress them. That's all I have to do. I just need to think that later tonight, it will all be over and I'll be laughing at how pathetic and nervous I was. It's fine. I just got to-

"Daniel Arthurness from District 3!", screams Caesar. I'm pushed out onto the stage by a crewman and I see all the crazed audience members cheering loudly. "Here he is!", shouts Caesar. I climb up the small steps and I walk over to my seat, but I'm firstly greeted by him with a handshake. "Now, let us discuss!", he says. I immediately notice how odd he looks; strange orange hair, a pink suit and unnaturally white teeth.

We both sit down in our seats and he begins the interview. "So, Daniel, what were your first thoughts when you were reaped?", he asks in a strangely quiet tone. I swallow the lump at the back of my throat and I try to moisten my mouth with swallows of my saliva. "I was nervous," I choke out. "What else did you feel?", he asks.

I don't think that I can finish this interview. We're only one question in and I already feel like I'm going to faint. The hot stage lights shining on my face and the thousands of people sitting in the audience staring at me are both enough to make me puke right now.

It takes me a while to get out the answer, but the relaxing ten seconds to think makes me feel more comfortable. "I felt sad that I had to leave my best friend Jake." The audience spurt out a loving "Aw".

"Tell me about this Jake fellow. What does he mean to you?". I close my eyes and I think of all the fun times that we had together, but now we'll never see each other again. "He means the world to me, even more than my parents," I say. The audience hush and the room falls silent, so silent that I could hear a pin drop. "But now I'm being sentenced to death, I'll never see him again."

"But Daniel, you could still win these Games. They only make us better people," says Caesar calmly. "No Caesar," I say, "the Games only destroy us." The silence is slightly broken and I hear a few gasps, but the majority are still quiet and listening. "I think we better move onto a different topic," says Caesar.

What did I just do? I just spoke trash against the Games. Snow won't bother killing me since I am going to die in the Games anyway, but what could they do to my family? They'll leave my parents alone since I basically dissed them, and that just leaves Jake. They're going to kill him. I better settle down and keep my opinions to myself or I will be hated by Panem and Jake will be executed. As he's probably watching this right now, he's either incredibly proud or incredibly worried.

"You got an eight in your private training session with the Gamemakers so you seem like a prepared tribute. Are you going to go solo or be even more strong with a teammate?".

I've never even thought about an alliance. I do want to have a supporter in the Games, but I haven't spoken to anyone, not even Lucy. I can't trust anyone. "I'd certainly love to have an ally but no one has seemed to spark my interest," I say. "Do you hear this folks?", Caesar begins, "This young chap doesn't need anyone to protect him. This lad is brave!". The audience cheer and clap and I know that Caesar is trying to get them back on my side.

"Well, it looks like that's all that we have for Daniel. Give him a huge round of applause!", shouts Caesar. I say my goodbyes to the hyper man and I walk off behind the curtains. I'm done. I've finished everything. Everything done. Now all I have to do is wait for is the start of the Games tomorrow morning.

* * *

**Retta Coppen/D7F/17:**

"I love your green dress!", exclaims Caesar. "Thank you. I love your suit," I say in return. His joyful personality is extremely overdone but I will try not to get angry. "So, Retta. What are you most looking forward to in the Games?", he asks me, baring his shiny white teeth in my face. "I'm looking forward to showing the careers that they are terrible," I say. The audience lets out a bunch of different gasps and I know instantly that I'm going to be loved by them.

"And how will you do that?", asks Caesar. "I'm going to kill them. District 7 hasn't had a winner in a while so it's time to change that," I reply. Caesar's grin widens and he lets out a chuckle. "This girl is going to be one to watch," he says after he turns to face the audience. How sweet of him.

"Now Retta, be honest with me. What will you be most scared of in the arena?", he asks. That's tough. I'm not scared of anything like bugs or creatures, and I'm not scared of anything like the dark or heights.

"I'm scared of a slow painful death," I say. "I think that the Games aren't the best place for you to be if your scared of death," says Caesar. "I may be afraid of death," I tell Caesar, "but I think every other tribute is too. I'm pretty sure even victors are scared of death."

The audience slowly start clapping and eventually start cheering. "Retta! Retta!", they start to chime together. I feel the tears roll down my face and I'm given a tissue from Caesar. "Don't be sad," Caesar says, "this is your moment to shine. Everyone loves you for who you are."

Life is a roller coaster, and my roller coaster crashed. That doesn't mean that I died in the crash. Being a slave for my whole life to suddenly hearing people shout my name and start to love me is quite a big difference. Being reaped has only given me a glimpse of what my life could be like, but winning could officially make that change.

I wipe my eyes with the tissue and I see the black shades of makeup smudge it dirty. I probably look like a complete clown. "Okay, okay," says Caesar as he presses his finger against his earpiece, "I've been just told that we're slightly under schedule and I have to cut this interview short." Cutting it short? At least everyone got a chance to feel for me.

"Ladies and gentlemen," begins Caesar as he takes my hand, "Retta Coppen!".

I walk off behind the curtain and I'm greeted by Jean. "Well done," he says to me. Our friendship is still terrible but at least we're not trying to strangle each other like on the train. I can't trust him and I never will, but that doesn't mean that we can't give a compliment or two. "Good luck," I say. I hear Caesar call out his name and he brushes past me out onto the stage.

"Lets check his interview out," says J who suddenly appears in front of me. She grabs my hand and pulls me down a long white hallway and we both stare at the television screen. The television is delayed by around twenty seconds as Caesar is only calling out Jean's name on the screen now.

"Jean! Are you excited for the Games?", asks Caesar. Suddenly, a swarm of Peacekeepers storm past us both and we hear the agonizing screams from the audience. "Get out!", a crew member screams at us both from the top of the hallway. "Something's wrong," I say to J. "Keep watching!", she yells. We both stare at the screen and we nervously wait for something to happen.

"Sure," replies Jean. "Sure? Is tha- wait. They're telling me to stop," says Caesar nervously.

"What's happening?", he whispers as he touches his earpiece, "Should I-". We're completely horrified and shocked when we see the splatters of blood spray all over the stage as the masked gunman shoots the bullet through Caesar's head.

* * *

**What. The. Heck. **

**Yes, I understand how your feeling. That was quite a twist, wasn't it? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please review! Also, someone has guessed the twist and has gotten it half right. You see, they guessed something that is wrong BUT it will still happen later on in the story. Even though it's not the actual twist, I've decided to give this person an extra three votes for a tribute of their choice. Who is this person? No one shall know until it happens later on in the story.**

**So far, nobody has gotten the Quarter Quell twist. Unfortunately, your time to guess is FINISHED! What shall it be? When will it happen? All shall be revealed soon... MWUAHAHA.**

**Are you excited for the Games? Well guess what? I'm posting TWO chapters today; this chapter and the beginning (not the bloodbath, the tubes) of the Games! I hope you're so excited because I am!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you read the next one! Byeeeee :)**


	16. The Twist

**Jean Evens/D7M/16:**

"Jean, I know that you don't want to speak, but I want to wish you good luck," says J. She's right, I don't want to speak. I've been scarred from what happened on that stage last night. Good thing I wasn't the next to get shot. I hid behind my seat until I saw the gunman's body being dragged away, only then did I run backstage to be greeted by paramedics.

"Nine is a good training score," says J, "I want you to show the whole nation of Panem that you deserved that score." The elevator doors open and I see the stone walkway leading up to the hovercraft, a dozen Peacekeepers lined up on each side.

J grabs my hand and we walk out into the bright daylight. I'm not sure whether it's the wind or the hovercraft, but her hair is blowing widely. "Good luck!", she tries to shout over the loud engine.

One of the Peacekeepers storms over to me and grabs me by the hand, pulling me towards the hovercraft and away from J. "My name is Johanna!", she screams, "Johanna Mason!". I'm pushed up the steel platform and I'm plunged into an icy cold room.

The platform rises up and it seals away any escape, including the light. I'm escorted by the Peacekeeper down a narrow hallway until we reach the end. He opens the door at the end of the hallway and he pushes me inside to be stared at by the other tributes, including Retta. "Sit," a nurse-like woman orders me. I sit in the last empty seat at the end of the row and a mechanical lock wraps around my chest and pulls me back into the seat.

"Give me your arm," she begins to say to every tribute. She grabs their arms and injects something into them with a syringe. She eventually comes to me lastly and also says it to me; "Give me your arm." I raise my arm and she grabs it and stabs the syringe into it. I'm horrified by the glowing light that appears under my skin. "What's that?", I ask her. "Your tracker," she replies. That makes sense.

The lights dim down until a florescent blue color flows through the clear pipes in the walls, making the room eerie. We all get a fright and we're jerked forward, making it seem clear that the hovercraft is in the air.

I look at all the other tributes opposite me and along the row beside me, all waiting eagerly for the hovercraft to arrive. I see Kaiser, the guy from District 2, and he has an evil grin on his face. He's definitely going to cause havoc in the arena. Sitting opposite him is Sasha, the girl from District 2. They're both smiling at each other now and she suddenly breaks out in laughter.

There's Roscoe, the boy from District 10. Sitting there nervous as ever, he flicks his long hair to the side. He got a seven I think. After a few minutes of judging the other tributes, I feel a rumble and we're suddenly taken off the hovercraft.

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

"Sorry that I'm so late, I've just been with Eden," says Finnick as he steps into the small room, shutting the door behind him. "Sorry that Kilky couldn't be here, she's extremely ill so I've been called to replace her." I heard in the Capitol that stylists were meant to prep us before the Games start, but it looks like my mentor, Finnick, will be doing it today.

"Don't be nervous," he says as he approaches me. "I'll try not to be," I tell him. "Looks like you have to wear that jacket," he says as he points behind me. I twist my head and I see the rain jacket dangling from a coat hanger. "The arena must be a tad bit cold or maybe it's possible that it could rain," he says as he unhooks it. He gives me the jacket and I put it on, zipping it up all the way to the top.

"Are you going to have an ally?", asks Finnick. "So far, no. I might be able to make one once I'm in there," I reply. Finnick tilts his head down towards the floor and frowns. "Dathan, once you get in there it will be a non-stop bloodbath. There's going to be no friend making," he says. "Are you going to the Cornucopia?", he asks.

"I will, but I'm only going to get a few supplies and run for my life," I say. He's about to say something, but he's suddenly interrupted. "All tributes, please enter the tubes and place your arm in the hole socket," says a woman over a hidden speaker.

Finnick leans in for a quick hug and he walks me over to the tube. The alert repeats again just as I step into the tube. "Put your arm in, it will be okay," says Finnick. I place my arm into the hole in the wall and I feel it being tugged. Suddenly, I'm pulled so fiercely that my feet stumble a bit. "Just stay calm," Finnick says. The glass tube closes and Finnick places his hand on the glass.

I place my free hand on the glass where his is and I barely hear him say "Goodbye." The platform beneath my feet begins to rise and the never ending wall containing the hole follows me up too.

I feel my arm getting pulled even more and it starts to pain me. I wave my last goodbye with my other hand to Finnick and he waves back. The platform continues rising until he's eventually out of sight. I'm in complete darkness so I look up to find any brightness. I ascend higher and the tube begins to fill with light. The sky of the arena is a plain blue color with a few fluffy white clouds, then I suddenly hear a voice.

_"Tributes of all ages, young and old, are all about to begin the Games, let the story be told."_

The bright sky begins to turn into a peach-orange color; the sun must be setting, but it's happening almost instantly.

_"They rise in their tubes, their violent personalities being set alight. The bloodbath is starting, it's time to watch the fight."_ The tube is getting closer to the top and I can feel a gust of cold wind blowing through the air.

_"Wicked witches, and princes that are charming; now it's time to see which ones are alarming."_ My platform comes to a stop but my sight of the arena is blocked by a misty, unclear glass that rings around me and the stone wall that my arm is still placed in.

_"All of you tributes, take out your arms. It's just about time to cause some harm."_ I hear a clicking sound and I feel the grasp on my arm loosen.

_"Who shall die, and who shall win the fame? It's time to begin the one-hundredth Hunger Games"._

My arm is forced out but I don't have time to look at it, I need to look at the arena. I hear mechanical noises, and suddenly the stone wall and the glass lower into the ground and I lay my eyes on the large expanse.

There's artificially green grass and thin, leafless, thin trees that surround the starting area. A ton of crows hawk and screech as they fly over my head. I see the bags and supplies at the Cornucopia- wait a minute. There is no Cornucopia. Suddenly, I watch as dangerous, spiky vines spurt out through the middle of the flat plain and begin to form a dome structure. There's the Cornucopia.

I look up at the sky and I see the moon peering out from the grey clouds. The sunshine was only for a peaceful effect, now it's time for murder. The grey clouds burst open and instantly a lashing of rain pounds down onto me.

I wipe the wet hair out of my eyes and I hear the countdown.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

This is it. The Games are starting. Everything is going to go crazy now..

"...seven, six, five, four..."

But wait.. The tributes! I look across the land and I see all the tributes lined up on the pedestals. There's Kaiser, Glamour, Helena, Flannery, basically everyone. Then I notice something odd. Something game changing.

"...three..."

All the tributes... They're...

"...two..."

I turn my head to the left and I see the exact same thing. That's why I had to put my hand in the hole...

"...one..."

...I'm handcuffed to Eden.

* * *

***Screams* **

**Are you excited?! How do you feel about the twist?! I'm so excited to actually get this chapter out! I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please review! I can't wait to get out the next chapter and I hope you read it! Don't forget to vote in the poll for the winner on my profile! Thank you, byeeeeee :)**


	17. PART III, The Show: The Bloodbath

**Kaiser Darius/D2M/17:**

"To the Cornucopia," I say just before the gong goes off. The loud bang echoes around the flat plain and Sasha and I both jump off of our large pedestal. We land on the slippery grass and we rush straight towards the Cornucopia as the wind blows the heavy rain in our faces.

The chain connecting to the two of our cuffs is very short so we're forced to stay close together. I twist my head both left and right and I see the other tributes heading towards the center too. "Keep running!," I say loudly to Sasha as we pass a bag with a lone knife resting on top.

We are approaching the Cornucopia and the never ending vines continue to fly out of the ground and entangle each other, creating the spherical cave. Sprinting ahead of us from the left is Volt and Sarah, both of them handcuffed at the wrist. Over from my right I see Axel and Flannery being chased towards our destination by Ole and Glamour.

We follow Sarah and Volt into the Cornucopia and we both immediately pick up two of the three swords laying on top of a crate near the entrance. Sarah lets out a scream from the back.

Sasha and I chase them in between various trays and bags until they're in our reach. I push Sarah into the vines and I watch as the sharp point, almost like a prick from a cactus, impales her back and comes out the other side, ripping through her jacket. She roars in pain and I see the prick dripping with blood. Volt is able to not get pulled in after her by the handcuffs, but that doesn't stop Sasha from slashing his neck with her sword. He drops to the ground and the weight of his body pulls Sasha out from the vines, making her collapse on top of him. "Next," I say.

We turn around and we see the next pair searching through a crate; Axel and Flannery. We rush past Ole and Glamour and I go in for the kill. I swing my knife at Flannery's arm and I cut through her jacket sleeve, showing off the fresh wound. She screams with pain and they're both only alert now that we're here. Sasha pushes her head down onto the rim of the crate and she falls to the ground, pulling Axel down too.

I raise my sword above my head and I bring it down on Axel's body, resulting in a squelching sound and a scream of agony. I let Sasha finish off Flannery as I continue to hack away at Axel. I slice through his enough until the mangled and scarred skin is clearly visible. "They're definitely gone," says Sasha. "We need to find Eden," says Ole as he and Glamour walk over to us. "It's not going to work," I say, "she's handcuffed to Dathan and we never agreed for him to team with us."

"He's right," says Glamour, "I think the safest thing to do is just kill her." "I think the safest thing to do is to get out there and kill some people!", I shout, "They're getting away!".

I lead everyone outside into the rain to see no action but lots of tributes. We sprint towards Tranthan and Erenis and I see Glamour's knife enter Tranthan's throat. Ole raises his Katana and slams in down onto Erenis's leg, slicing the whole thing off. We rush away from the victims as Erenis screams in pain and as Tranthan lies on the ground gasping for air.

I see Mazie and Barley searching through a bag so we immediately rush over to the duo. Sasha stabs her sword through Barley's neck and he drops to the ground. I grab Mazie in a headlock and I let her wriggle around. "Trying to escape, eh?", I say. The rest of the group laughs. I hold my sword up to her chin and she begins to squeal. "Goodnight," I say just before I shove my sword up through her chin. I pull it out and drop her body to the ground, but I go in for one last slash on the face.

I look around for the next victims and I spot Daniel and Lucy running into the Cornucopia. "There!", I shout as I point at the two. We sprint across the grass towards the Cornucopia and I watch as Daniel and Lucy open a crate and then fiddle with their wrists, dropping the handcuffs to the ground and they sprint off in two opposite directions. Lucy heads to the left and she's closer to us so we chase after her.

I see a knife whiz through the air past my shoulder and lodge straight into the back of her head. She drops to the ground and then the killer reveals herself. "You should thank me," says Glamour.

* * *

**Casper Jarmine/D11M/17:**

"Give it back!", I shout as Helena and I thug on the dripping wet bag pack that Ash and Charm are pulling off of us. I kick Ash in the leg as hard as I can and he falls to the ground with Helena. The sudden steadiness causes Helena and I to fall on the wet grass. "Run while we have it!", I scream. But we can't run. Suddenly, we run straight into the pack of careers. We turn and start sprinting in the opposite direction but I see the District One male raise his blade. I hear the shriek of Helena but I keep running for my life.

I sprint past Ash and Charm and I turn to my right to check on Helena. That's when I see the dangling hand. I turn around and I see the remains of Helena's body at the feet of the careers and I instantly know what has happened.

I run straight into the woods and in between the trees. Everything is so bare and eerie, it's almost like it's set up perfectly for a story. The trees are a mixture of brown, purple and grey, and they're extremely tall with no leaves; nothing but a few twisted branches at the top.

I see two connected tributes off in the distance to my left so I head in the opposite way. I run for a few minutes until I think it's safe, then I walk and I conserve my energy. Who knows what's deep within these woods. There really could be anything; this is the one-hundredth Hunger Games after all. I see an odd looking tree with a perfectly smooth and curved base so I decide to set up camp. I lean back into the trunk and I begin to open my backpack.

Inside contains a bottle of water and some sort of small blade, maybe a dagger. No food but I suppose I could hunt. I tried out fire making during training and I thought that it was pretty easy, it's almost completely dark so I better not start a fire. It would probably be noticeable.

The rain hasn't stopped and I'm completely soaked so I put my hood up. This better stop soon or I'm going to catch a flu.

* * *

**Ash Slate/D12M/16:**

I've been here for what feels like hours being tortured in the rain. "Stab the shoulder!", the girl from District 2 says. I see Ole then pierce into Charm's jacket and then stab down into it with his blade, making her scream.

I've been cut so many times that I can't feel anything but pain. The rain in my eyes doesn't even affect me since I'm half numb. "She's going to be gone in a few minutes if we leave her here, but you need to stab him once more to be sure he dies," says another girl. Then Kaiser, who has been keeping me down for all this time, gets tossed a knife from one of the girls and slices my leg open. I gasp and then I yell in pain. "We should leave them here to suffer. Lets go to the Cornucopia and then find more," says Kaiser.

The careers leave us on the ground and I see them head over to the Cornucopia. They stay in there for a while and then run into the woods with backpacks on their backs. "Charm!", I scream. I tilt my aching head slowly and I see her cut hand attached to mine with the handcuffs. "Charm!", I scream again.

I tilt my head to the right and I see one remaining bag. This is my last chance to keep her alive. I try and crawl towards the bag while dragging her with me, letting out some sort of moan or gasp every split second. I reach as far as I can for the bag and I grab it with my bloodied hands and I unzip it. Nothing but some sort of squirt bottle. I grab it out and I squeeze some onto the fresh cut and I instantly feel like I'm being tossed in an icy lake. It pains me so much more, but I know that it will help me.

I squirt some onto Charm's shoulder and I rub it around, hoping that she feels better. "Charm, speak to me," I whisper. But she doesn't speak. "Charm," I say with a lump at the back of my throat. "Charm!", I scream. I look into her open eyes and I know that there's no soul in her. She's gone.

"Attention tributes," I hear a man's voice call out. "The beginning of the Hunger Games have just begun, and you might have noticed that you're all handcuffed. If you wish to be freed, there are five identical keys hidden throughout the arena to do the job. These keys can be used more once. I shall now give the first and last hint to where one of the keys are. One of the keys has already been used and dropped somewhere in the Cornucopia. That is all".

Keys. The Cornucopia. Freedom. I need to get that key so I'm not stuck to a dead body for the whole time. I lay on the ground and I fall asleep, waking up later to find that the rain has lessened and that some of my wounds have healed.

I begin to crawl across the wet plain and I drag Charm along with me. It takes me a couple of minutes, but I eventually make it to the vine Cornucopia. I pull Charm into the dark dome and I see the shiny silver key sitting on the grass. I reach my hand out and I grab onto it. I unlock my handcuff and I drop my head down to the grass.

I black out and I begin to imagine the torture all over again. I can't tell if it's real or not, but I'm in so much pain that I don't bother to wonder.

* * *

**Oh. My. GAWD. **

**What did you guys think of the bloodbath?! Did you like the twist? Do you have any queries? Leave a review and I'll be sure to PM you! I really hope you enjoyed the TRUE BEGINNING of this story and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the Games. Do you feel bad for the fallen tributes? I honestly don't. I'll have the canons go off in the next chapter and then the canons shall go off instantly when a person dies.**

**Who died? Here's the list so far:**

**_-_**D3 Female: Lucy Voltzer/16/Heroboy2004

**_-_**D5 Male: Tranthan Aileys/16/Kkfanatic22

-D5 Female: Erenis Gader/15/AsgardianGrizzly

-D6 Male: Axel Rails/17/Vhagor

-D6 Female: Flannery Parsons/13/We're All Okay

-D8 Male: Volt Ford/15/DaughterofApollo7

-D8 Female: Sarah Harrington/17/DaughterofApollo7

-D9 Male: Barley Harvest /15/AsgardianGrizzly

-D9 Female: Mazie Rice/16/AsgardianGrizzly

-D11 Female: Helena Wren/14/Alecxias

-D12 Female: Charm Horton/13/Vhagor

**I hope that you read the next chapter! Thank you for reading, byeeeee :)**


	18. Once Upon A Time

**Retta Coppen/D7F/17:**

"We're not going to the Cornucopia. Someone has probably found the key already and discarded it," I say. "Well what are we going to do?", asks Jeans. "Maybe we should try and find a weapon and kill someone," I say bitterly. We both continue walking through the creepy woods while the rain continues drizzling. "Looks like we're forced to be together now," I say. "At least Johanna will be happy," he says. "Who's Johanna?," I ask. He pauses and quietly mutters the answer. "She's J. She told me her name just as I was getting on the hovercraft."

How wonderful. She liked him more enough to tell him her goddamn name. That just goes to show that she did have a favorite. Him. It's going to be tough to get out of here, but if I do, it's going to be so nice to rub it into her face.

The rain has stopped from a light shower and turns into a full on storm. The grey clouds are an unnatural black color and I can hear the thunder beginning. "We need to find shelter," I say. We put up our hoods and we hide under a tree, but it's no use. The bare branches don't give us any shelter. "There has to be something in this arena to keep us safe," says Jean. He's right. Where are the keys hiding? They surely can't be hidden away under something like a bush, they would be nearly impossible to find. If this year's head Gamemaker has even half a brain, he would put some more thought into hiding them.

After a few minutes of walking, we both hear the Bloodbath cannons beginning to blast out around the arena. _BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! _"Eleven. Thirteen left," says Jean.

we eventually find an odd looking berry bush sitting out in the open. It's the only bush that we've spotted yet and it seems suspicious. "Don't even try," I say as I hit Jeans extending arm. "Why not?", he asks, "We need some sort of food to keep us going."

"They could be poisonous, you fool." Jean doesn't seem to be interested in my precautions and he plucks one straight from the bush. "I don't want to carry around a dead body so I recommend that you pass on it," I hiss at him. He rolls the berry around between his thumb and forefinger. "I'll be fine," he moans. He pops the berry into his mouth and he swallows shortly after. "You see! I-" His stomach begins growling. "You're going to die!", I joke. "Oh relax! I'm just hungry."

After I try some of the berries and I know that they're safe, we strip the bush bare to find that there's only around two dozen of them. We put the berries in our jacket pockets, zip the pockets up and we venture deeper into the woods. I begin to notice that the trees are becoming packed close together and a bundle of intertwining vines and thorns are appearing everywhere.

"Be careful," I say to Jean as we navigate over the thorny green ropes. Being handcuffed right now is not giving me an advantage. The Gamemakers have certainly designed this arena to be hell while we're handcuffed. But I'm certain it will still be hell if we free ourselves.

The rain has stopped but it's replaced by a mysterious grey mist that makes it almost impossible to see where the thorns are. I breathe out and the mist in front of me disappears but it immediately forms back again. "Look out!", shouts Jean.

I glance down at my feet and I see the spiked vine shoot across the ground about two feet away. He steps back and the handcuff prevents me from moving any further. "Close call," I say.

We both cautiously step over the vine and we try to get through these obstacles. The vines are beginning to grow much quicker and I watch as they rapidly crawl up the thin trees, making them have an even more creepy effect. We finally come to a safe area where the vines slow down and the mist starts to repel, but it suddenly vanishes in front of our very eyes.

"That was definitely not natural," says Jean. "Of course it wasn't! Mist doesn't disappear just like that!", I say. That's when I see the huge structure. "Look," I whisper as I point to the tall, stone, mossy cylindrical tower. We slowly approach the building with small footsteps and a watching eye in case anything attacks. The atmosphere is scary. The only thing in the area is this tower, dangerous thorns and a creepy moon peering out from the tree.

I look up and I see a bare window and a hook attached to the wall with a hairy rope hanging from it. "This is almost like real hair," says Jean as he examines the golden threads. He's correct. It can't be real hair as it's so long but it's definitely not a rope. It's... strange. "I bet there's a key in here," I say. Jean nods his head. There _must _be a key up here and we need to find it.

"We can't climb this the hair," says Jean, "it's not safe at all." We both look up at the massive tower and he tugs on the hair, making the hook squeak and then wobble. "That won't be able to take on our weight," he says. He's right. We need to find another way up.

* * *

**Madeline "Maddie" Juno/D10F/15:**

"I only got a six in training," I say, "you?". "Seven," says Roscoe. "Pretty good," I say, "what did-". I suddenly notice some stone slabs off in the distance between the trees. "Look!", I shout as I point towards it. "What is it?", Roscoe asks. "Well I think we should find out!".

We run in between the trees and the slowly growing thorns and but we stop and peek around a tree. "Shush," I whisper to Roscoe as I hear muffled voices. I look up at the huge tower and it shoots straight up to the clouds. "Tall," whispers Roscoe. Then I see two handcuffed tributes. They both turn around and I'm able to make out their faces; Jean and Retta.

Roscoe and I stay as silent as possible and we both watch them circle around the stone structure. "There could be a key in there," he whispers slyly. "I bet there is. Where else would we find them?".

I see Retta jump and they both start staring at something on the wall. "What is it?", I ask. Roscoe shakes his head. Jean hits something on the wall and I watch as a couple of stone blocks crumble into dust, revealing a spiral staircase in the tower. They both gasp with joy and they vanish into the darkness. "What should we do?", asks Roscoe in his normal tone now that there's no reason to whisper. I don't reply and I pull him out from the trees and into the small clearing.

We walk around the tower and we see a window up the top and a thick golden threads hanging from a hook up the top. "I say we should leave them. They could find weapons up there and kill us," says Roscoe anxiously. "I think we should follow them up. They look weak, we'll easily beat them," I urge.

After deliberation, I force Roscoe to follow the two up the tower. We see a button on the wall beside the entrance and we think that's what made the entrance open. "Now or never," I say. I head in first and I put my arm behind my back to allow more movement. The staircase seems to be infinite and it just doesn't seem to be ending. I hear the feint voices getting more audible so I walk slower and try to make less noise.

The staircase begins to brighten and I know we're just at the top. I stop myself and Roscoe and I peak around the last corner. I see Retta reaching up for a key tied to a string and she pulls it, untangling the loose knot. They both stare at it in awe and she free them both from the cuffs.

_I need to do something,_ I think to myself. Then I see the large window behind them. I know what I should do... I'm going to do it. "Follow me. No questions," I whisper to Roscoe.

I run up the last three steps, pulling Roscoe along with me, and I charge at the two. I push Jean, making him stumble over the bumpy floor, and he falls right out the window. I try to grab hold of Retta but she sprints down the stairs. I continue to drag Roscoe and we both run down after her. As we step outside at the bottom of the stairs, I hear the cannon go off but Retta is nowhere to be seen. "Lost her!" I scream. "It's fine," says Roscoe. "No it's not! She took the key with her!", I say.

"Oh my god," says Roscoe. "What?", I ask. "I know what this tower is from." I try to think about what it's from but nothing rings a bell. "It's from a classic fairy tale," he says, "my mother read it to me when I was a child."

"What fairy tale?", I ask him. "I can't remember. I think it's Raponzoel or something like that." Never heard of it. Who knows what this could mean. Maybe he's just being a raving lunatic, but I don't have time to think about fairy tales. I need to think about winning the Games.

* * *

_President Snow leans back in his chair and continues watching on the slick flat-screen. He watches as the District 10 female sends the District 7 male out the window to his doom. He chuckles at the incident, knowing that the death shall cause some buzz with the Capitol citizens. Fraux had planned for a tribute to climb the tower using the hair, shortly plummeting them to their death. Being pushed to your death may be even better._

_So far, the Games have been going great. Viewing rates have increased by forty percent, and the Gamemakers don't plan on disappointing the viewers, especially considering it's the one-hundredth year. Fraux Hellex had been planning the Games for months, making every single inch of the arena perfect. All that needs to happen is for the tributes to uncover the horrific things that await them, far worse than a simple stone tower. The Gamemakers will not show mercy, they'll make the tributes find these horrors._

_This year is a twisted fairy tale with no happy ending..._

* * *

**Well... Let the Games begin! I really hope that you continue reading this story because the fun is still yet to come. Expect some great chapters with some wicked tricks to face, almost more wicked than a wicked witch... *spooky***

**As always, please review and tell me your thoughts! I'm also creating a new updated poll with the current tributes alive! You can vote twice in this poll, and in case your wondering, OF COURSE your votes on the previous poll will be included.**

**Also, goodbye to the first main tribute: Jean Evens :(**

**He's the first character who isn't a bloodbath victim to die... Sad. And guess what? Whoever correctly answers this question in a review will get a free sponsor item to the tribute of their choice!: Which character's mother died during the Reapings?**

**And what do you think of the brand spanking new cover? I won't explain why I chose it, but stay tuned for more chapters explaining it... *hint hint* *wink wink* *nudge nudge* *smack smack* *kill kill***

**I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter and that you read the next one! Thank you all so much for continuously reading! Byeeeee :)**

UPDATE:

**Vhagor has already answered the question correctly! Congratulations! He/She shall get free sponsor to the tribute of their choice! Please do not try and enter, this competition is closed :)**


	19. Run While You Can

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

"Why is it so dark if it's morning?", asks Dathan. We've just woken up after a long sleep against a tree and it's still pitch black. "Maybe it's still night," I say. "I don't think so," he says, "maybe the arena is designed this way." He could be right... or it could still be night. Either way, we're going to start moving.

We both nibble on two crackers each from the ten we found in our backpack at the Cornucopia and we immediately head off with the bag on my back. "I wonder what's lurking in here," says Dathan. "Me too."

There could literally be anything around any corner, waiting to slaughter us both to death. Having a bow with a couple of arrows would only be useful for killing another tribute. But for hunting, it would be useless. I haven't spotted one animal yet. Maybe this will be the year where most of us starve to death. After all, crackers aren't going to keep us going for much longer.

I wonder what everyone is thinking while watching us back at home. For all I know, they could possibly be screaming at their screens saying "someone's right behind you!". I glance around just to be safe. I'm driving myself mental. I'm only scaring myself by thinking all these horrible thoughts.

"If we make it to the top four, do you want to go to the feast?", asks Dathan. "Definitely. Why don't-", then the thought pops into my head. "We should head back to the Cornucopia. We'll get any leftover supplies. There'll be weapons to protect us and tons of food! Maybe that key is still there."

"Lets do it, but we better hope that the careers haven't set up camp there," says Dathan, "they'll slaughter us." I just say "It will be fine" and I pull him in the opposite direction. That's when I see the head pull back behind the tree.

I use my handcuffed hand to grab onto Dathan's and I tell him to shush. "We have a shadow," I whisper. Then I see a different head peer out from the right side of the tree, a girl with long blonde hair. It can't be her.. Can it?

"It's Glamour," whispers Dathan. He stole the words right out of my mouth. It's her. "Then I think I saw Ole with her too," I whisper, this time really slowly. I don't know whether they're here to kill Dathan and finally meet up with me or just to kill us both.

Dathan taps my shoulder and points to another tree. I quickly turn to face it and I see Kaiser quickly hide behind the tree wielding a sword. Now I'm certain that they're here to kill us. "We need an escape route," I whisper as we both slowly walk backwards. Then I see the knife whiz past my shoulder.

I don't need to tell Dathan, he just starts running. We both sprint off to the right with no reasons to stop. I quickly look over my shoulder and I see the second knife fly out of Glimmer's hand. It lands straight into the trunk of a tree ahead of us so I pull Dathan to the left. Now we're back on track to the Cornucopia, but I still have to worry about these pricks that used to be my friends.

"Don't stop," I say, but I can tell from his movement that he could go all day. I glance back over my shoulder and I see the two doubles chasing after us. The only way that we're going to escape is if they get tired. But they've been training all their life. I don't think that's ever going to happen.

We continue sprinting and I desperately try to think of some plan. "What will we do?", asks Dathan, a trail of sweat runs across his forehead. I check back to see that they're about ten meters away. "We better pray," I say.

Just then, in between the groups of trees, I see the vines of the Cornucopia swirling around in different directions. "This can't be it," I say. I feel a sharp pain on my left arm and I see the third knife hit against the ground. I try to look where I'm running but I also try to look at the deep gash on my arm. "The bitch got me," I moan.

As we approach the Cornucopia, I begin to notice that it's not all that it seems. Curled thorns begin to wrap around the trees surrounding us and I know that this isn't where we want to be. The vine structure collapses to the ground and the evil green arms shoot out towards us. "Turn around!", screams Dathan as he pulls me backwards. "No! They'll get us!", I say.

I turn around and I see the horrified looks on their faces, soon after they sprint backwards in fear. "Come on!", urges Dathan as he runs backwards, dragging me along with him. I see some of the vines appearing a couple of feet ahead of us and I know that we need to pick up our pace. That's when a vile wraps around my foot and I fall to the ground.

* * *

**Casper Jarmine/D11M/17:**

I finish apply the cream to my wounds and I continue to walk into the woods with my new weapons. Two backpacks full of food, medicine and weapons; I'm perfectly safe.

I hear an odd mechanical noise coming from up above me so I look up to see what's happening. Suddenly, I see tons of various sized cardboard-like clouds drop from the misty sky and dangle from ropes. The clouds are almost like painted cubes with what seems like massive strips of duct tape running around each edge. Weird. What's that for? It's almost like a child's piece of art.

I stare at the clouds for a while and it seems that they're not doing anything so I continue walking. Off in the distance, I see a bunch of growing vines, just like the Cornucopia. It looks like danger so I decide to start walking in a different direction. But it's no use, because I suddenly notice the vines beginning to chase after me.

My slow walk turns into a full on sprint, trying desperately not to get capture. I hear the sharp spikes on them digging into the ground just behind my heels. I try to not think of getting mauled and I just concentrate on dodging the trees. Then I notice people running from the vines too, off to my left. Their faces are flushed red and I know that they're in trouble. Then I see a girl screaming in pain, trying to pull her foot out from the vine lock.

I ignore them and I keep running for my life. The cuts on my legs aren't healing from the cream and my body is in need of rest. But I can't rest now. I feel a sharp pain in my back and I see the vine burst out through my chest. The hook in my body lifts me up and I'm in complete agony. I roar in pain and I alert the running tributes. They turn around and they look me in the eyes in shock.

The vine lifts me up several feet in the air and tosses me around, making the sharp blades rip deeper into my skin. I watch as my blood runs down the thorny vine and I'm suddenly slammed down to the ground and brought back up. It's almost like this vine is being controlled. Almost like it has a brain. Then another one digs through my hip and the pain rushes through my body.

They both begin pulling me in opposite directions and I know that I'm going to be split in half. I'm pulled backwards and I'm held over the source of this terror; a huge pit full of thorns. The two vines don't stop pulling and I'm suddenly let loose from their grasp. I don't know if my body has been split or if I'm totally just dreaming this, but I do remember landing in the pit on my back and seeing four or five spikes shoot up through my stomach.

* * *

**Oh my gawsh. And so ends the life of another tribute. Why did Casper unexpectedly get the chop? Two reasons: 1. I won't say how many votes, but I will say that he got little to no votes to win. 2. I needed for someone to die. I couldn't have ALL the tributes escape this frenzy!**

**Please please PLEASE vote for your winner on the poll on my profile. It's really important because your character could die this quickly! I've made a new poll and you're able to vote in it twice! Also, please review if you have time! I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and expect more awesomeness to come! This is only just the beginning of this fairy tale...**

**I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much, byeeee :)**


	20. What Lies Beneath

**Ash Slate/D12M/16:**

The boom of the cannon jolts me awake and it sends a shiver up my spine. I start to open my eyes slowly and my vision is blurry and askew. I rub them and try to wake myself up. I wait for a bit until I feel capable of moving. I stand up and I look around in the Cornucopia to see two piles of dead bodies. I try to ignore the foul scent of Axel and Flannery's lifeless bodies as I stumble across the grass. I flip open a crate and I lay my eyes upon the array of blades awaiting. None satisfy my tastes apart from a sharp machete. I pull it out and I flail it around in the air, trying to get used to the plastic grip.

I grab a backpack and fill it with food and medicines. I even toss in a few knives just to be safe. That's when I feel my leg sting harshly. I look down and the wounds given by the careers have slightly healed, but not enough. I unzip my bag, take out the ointment and lather it over the blood-red cavern in my leg. The stinging intensifies and it feels like it's being blasted by ice cold air. The feeling is horrific, but I know that it will help. I then proceed to smother my other cuts with the stuff.

Stepping out from the living vines, a crystal white crescent moon looms in the black sky. Then I see odd looking clouds hanging from the sky, each attached to pieces of ropes. I gaze at them and I see them hanging all the way into the distance too. Hundreds of them. They look almost like cardboard and they seem to have an uneven layer of white paint spread across them. It's almost like I'm part of a set piece. Almost like I'm part of a puppet show.

I circle around the plain, trying to remember each direction that people went until I come to a stop behind the Cornucopia. _Nobody went this way,_ I think to myself. I'm pretty sure nobody did. That's why it's a perfect way to go. My chances of dying will decrease if I go this way. While watching previous Games on television, I had always noticed nobody fleeing behind the Cornucopia. Perfect time to make that change- SNAP!

I hear a crack and I'm suddenly being plummeted into a dark hole. I land on a dirt surface and I look above to see what's happened. While standing up, I peer my head up outside to see that I've been caught in a trap. I duck down in case that there's any tributes coming, but I see something strange. Three long dark tunnels; one to my left, the right and in front of me. Then I notice that there's a forth behind me too.

Which way should I go? _Should I _go through any of these tunnels at all? It's definitely possible to climb out of here, escaping any danger that may be soon to come. That would be boring though. I need to give the audience a show. Who knows what the Gamemakers could do? They could send rabid animals after me to make me run down one. To the left.

I slowly begin to creep down the tunnel at a slow pace. I wipe the tread of sweat off of my forehead and I try listen for any noise. Squinting my eyes makes it easier to see through the darkness, but as I walk more and more, nothing can make me see. Now I'm just walking blindly. I can't see anything. I could be walking towards a bottomless pit right now, totally oblivious. There's got to be something more to this.

Suddenly, a trail of torches light up along the rest of the tunnel, revealing a series of ladders leading straight into the roof. I investigate the nearest ladder and I push up onto the roof, flapping open two dirt doors. I climb the ladder and I'm now out in a dense forest, looking around for any predators.

Is this all that it's used for? Shortcuts to different locations? I climb back down into the tunnel and I pull close the doors behind me. I do the same with the next few ladders that are a couple of meters apart, and I notice that they all lead up above ground. This must be some sort of secret hideout for tributes to make surprise attacks. Then a plan pops into my brain...

Maybe this could be my one hope to winning.

* * *

**Glamour Twinkle/D1F/17:**

I grasp onto my knives as hard I can and I sprint full speed ahead without any thoughts of stopping. I see the thorns caving in on us from both left and right and I begin to realize that this could be the end.

I use my chained hand to grab onto Ole's and I pull him with me as he's starting to tire. "Keep going!", I scream as the thorns begin to twist around the tree trunks. I glance over my shoulder to see that Eden is free and she's limping along with Dathan in a different direction. We totally missed our chance to get them both! This is all because of the stupid Gamemakers! The audience better love this chase.

With my feet beginning to get exhausted, I see the thorns coming to a stop. But they're now building upwards into a dead end. _We'll turn to the left,_ I think to myself, but that solution is put to rest immediately. The thorns start to cave us in on both the left and right. Our only hope is to quickly jump over them before it's too late. "Quickly!", I shriek.

Kaiser and Sasha start to get ahead of us and they leap over the upward-building vines. "Hurry!", they scream as they wait on the other side for us. I pull Ole's hand and I sprint as fast as I can. My feet are stomping into the dirt and I'm like a charging bull. The thorns shoot up and I know that a simple jump will get us killed. It's decision time; either ditch the jump and try to find another way out or try to jump over and risk being impaled by the razor sharp blades. I'm brave, I can do this. I'll risk it all.

I feel like I'm running as fast as a car and I leap into the air. Ole follows me up just as I bend my back. I feel the thorns scrape against the back of my jacket and I land on the ground. I instantly catch my breath and I roll on my side to see Ole panting with a bright purple face. The sea of thorns ends at the tunnel and they stop growing and moving. "We're safe," says Sasha.

The sound of cracking alerts me and I see the green whips begin to change color. The huge tunnel, the source of them and the ones wrapped around the trees all harden and turn stone grey. "It's over," I say as I catch my breath. "Glamour! You're back!", screams Sasha.

Curious, Ole and I stand and turn around to show them what's happened. "What's wrong?", I stutter. The numbness of my back stops and the pain hits me. I scream in pain and I collapse to the floor, pulling Ole down with me. "Get the cream!", orders Sasha. Kaiser takes tube out of his backpack and he tosses it to Sasha. She rolls me over onto my stomach and I hear a sizzling sound as she squirts the cream on. "Oh my god!", shrieks Ole as he kneels with his arm by my side, allowing him to sit up.

Sasha continues to squirt the cream on without pausing and the pain starts to shoot through my legs now. "The thorns must have got you," says Sasha. Words are no longer able to come out of my mouth but that doesn't stop me from feeling pain. I try to scream and shout, but I feel like there's duct tape over my lips. I hear a beeping sound and I think I've completely blanked out.

Floating through the branches on the trees comes a metal box, supported by a parachute. I try to alert everyone but they already see it. Kaiser picks it up from the ground and I hear a clicking sound.

"Glimmer's name is on the box but there's no instructions. I think it will help her though," he says. "Put it on," I hear Sasha says. I can't feel what it is, but I know that Kaiser puts whatever it is on my back when the pain strikes through my body. Now I can scream.

I'm laid on the ground with Ole for the next couple of hours while Sasha and Kaiser feed us. I feel bad for Ole. These stupid handcuffs are containing him from being comfortable and eating properly, all because of me. Sasha explains to me that I received a sponsor. Maybe I'll get more. People seem to be liking me so far. I just hope that my back gets better and that I can get back to killing. That way I'll impress everyone even more. Also, that way I won't be lying on the dirty ground in an uncomfortable position.

* * *

_"Excellent work so far," says Snow, his hands clasped together. "You'll be blown away by the other things that I've got prepared," replies Fraux as he pulls his hair over his left eye, his blistered lips full of saliva. "You better be using the tribute's blood in a shocking way. It better please the audience. You know what happens if my precious puppets aren't pleased," says Snow as he stares at the skin and bones body with his eyebrows lowered._

_Fraux chuckles at the man's comment. No old grandfather could tell him what to do! "You can't kill me," says Fraux. He pops a white mint in his mouth and chews on it. "I'm the Puppetmaster. How can a puppet like you kill me?". Snow slams his hands down onto the white desk and stands up. "You are not the Puppetmaster!", he screams, double the wrinkles beginning to form on his face, "I am the Puppetmaster! I am not a puppet! I am not controlled! I am the controller!"._

_Once again, Fraux chuckles at the fuming mad man. "Look," he says, popping another mint into his mouth, "follow me and you'll my world of imagination." With a wave of his hand, Fraux escorts Snow out the door and down the steps into the Control Room. _

_They walk through the circular rows of Gamemakers and downwards to the arena map. "I bet you don't know about this," says Fraux as he taps on the hologram. "This isn't happening just yet, but it will happen eventually," he continues. They both watch as the madness takes place in the arena. "I've never saw anything like this before," whispers Snow, "it's perfect."_

_"You see? No reason for the threats. Everything will work out perfectly," says Fraux, "I'm the Puppetmaster of the Games but you may be the true Puppetmaster." He bows down on his knees. "I apologize."_

_Snow smirks, both at Fraux and the arena. They we're both perfect; Fraux was finally being obedient and the arena was turning out to be the best one yet. But most importantly, both were under his control. Both of them, and the whole country of Panem, we're all attached to his strings. No matter how much people rebel, no matter how much Fraux thinks that he is the leader, no matter how much he is dying; there is still no strings on him._

* * *

**And so ends another chapter... If you liked this chapter, please leave a review! I'm also creating another poll for everyone to vote in, and this time you'll be able to have THREE votes!  
**

**Remember that "twist guess" thing that I was doing? Remember when I said that someone guessed something else that will happen that ISN'T the twist? Remember when I said that that person will get three free votes for their tribute? Huh? Do you? Do ya?! Do ya?! Well that "something" will be happening soon :)**

**I really hope that you all enjoyed the next chapter and I hope that you'll enjoy the next one too! Thank you so much for reading, byeeeeeee :)**


	21. A Witch's Poisoned Apple

**Retta Coppen/D7F/17:**

I've been wandering aimlessly in the dense forest for ages and I know that I need food immediately. My stomach has been making very unusual sounds and I feel dizzy. Even water would do. I never expected for Maddie to kill Jean like that. It was so unexpected. They could have been stalking us for hours, waiting for the time to come. But it looks like I'm on my own now.

I hear cranks and screeches, almost like I'm in a factory. I scan the wooded area to see nothing, not even any animals. Something is up.. The screeches suddenly get loud and I have to cover my ears from the noise. I look up into the night sky to see the one particular artificial cloud beginning to sway. At the bottom of the flat cardboard box, two small flaps swing open and I see something fall straight out. Then I notice that it's going to hit me.

I take a few steps back, knowing the spot that it's going to hit on the ground, and I see what it is. It's definitely not a sponsor item, nor any sort of item. Just as he's about to hit the ground, the rope tied through his stomach and leading up through the trap door jerks to a stop, leaving him dangling a few feet above the ground. It's Jean.

I let out a gasp as I see the stained rope begin to drip of blood. His arms hanging, his expressionless face with his eyes closed; this is a horrific sight. I try to back away from the floating body, but I still try to remain a close enough distance to see him. I always hated Jean, but even this is cruel. He got pushed out the window to his doom, and this is how they treat him.

What's the point of this? To taunt me? To show that they're in control? No matter what the answer is, it shouldn't have led to this. My thoughts are interrupted when I see the rope beginning to move, bouncing and flailing him around in the air. I watch in horror as every jump of the rope sends him a bit into the air and back down, a horrible squelching sound of guts follows each time. He almost looks like a puppet...

I clasp my hands around my mouth before I start to scream, but the rope is almost instantly reeled back up into the cloud and he disappears inside, the trap doors shutting behind him.

I walk over to the space where he was floating and I wipe the tears from my eyes, making the pool of blood more clear now. I'm not one to cry, I guess that confirms that I do have a heart. Somewhat.

The walk through the woods helps clear my brain of all the horrible thoughts. Anytime Jean pops back into my head, I pinch myself for good measure. Am I the weakest of the bunch? Is that why they did it to me? By the time I'm stable again, my arms are covered in small red marks from the pain I inflicted to myself.

This only makes me even more determined to win. If I get out, I'll finally have a normal life. I'll be free. And once I'm free, I won't hold back on trash talking publicly to the Capitol, even if there's consequences.

* * *

**Roscoe Tarpan/D10M/17:**

"Retta will surely die out there on her own," explains Maddie. "Are you sure?", I ask, clearly disagreeing with her, "She seems pretty tough and determined. I wouldn't be surprised if she kills every single one of us." Maddie turns and stares at me with her devilish brown eyes. "She will die!".

"Smoke," I whisper as I point at the grey ash puffing out over the treetops. Maddie is finally quiet. "We don't have any weapons though," she whispers back. "I don't think we should go-"

"We're going!", she screams. "But as you just said, we don't have any weapons," I whisper. "I killed Jean without a weapon. I can do it again." Maddie and I creep through the woods, slowly getting closer towards the smoke. That's when I see a small, fairy tale-like cottage sitting out in a small clearing. "Don't get relieved yet," I whisper, "there could be someone inside."

We tiptoe over to the wooden door and slowly push it open. The dusty door creaks and a small mouse sprint out, runs between our feet, and then runs off into the woods. Maddie squeals but I cup my hand around her mouth. Then I pull back and whisper "Shush!". We slowly walk into the house to see a small wooden desk, a lit fire place full of logs, some sort of stove, a shelf filled with books and bottles of neon liquids and a bubbling cauldron.

"Be careful," I say, now loud and clear as Maddie stumbles over the bumpy surface. "This is almost like a fairy tale," I say. We walk over to the shelf and we both pick up a bottle each. "Should we drink some?", she asks. I look at her with utter shock. "Are you kidding me? It looks poisonous!". She slams the bottle back onto the shelf. "Fine. I was only asking."

We walk over to the active cauldron and we see a green gooey liquid inside, topped off with a mysterious smoke pouring out and onto the floor. "Don't even ask to try it," I say before Maddie gets the chance. We investigate the stove and find nothing, but then we both see two apples carefully placed in the middle of the wooden desk.

"These weren't here when we walked in," says Maddie. She's right. "It's only an apple. We can't get poisoned," she continues. She then picks up the two and puts one in my free hand. "We haven't had any sort of food since we were in the Capitol. We'll starve if we don't have something," she says. I stare at the apple in disbelief. She's not serious, is she? They weren't here when we walked in. Why is she going to eat one? It could be a trick.

She grabs the apple from my hand and takes a small bite out of it. "See," she says, sending out a few chunks of apple onto the floor, "perfectly safe." She puts the apple back into my hand and takes a bite out of her own. Then I hear an odd crunch. We make eye contact and I can tell from her bulging eyes that there's something wrong. Then the bright red apple skin crumbles off, revealing that it's actually black and shriveled.

She doesn't take the apple out of her mouth, instead she remains frozen, all but her eyes that continue to roam around. Her face begins to turn purple and she falls straight to the ground, pulling me down too. I smack my face on the uneven stone flooring and I immediately scream Maddie's name. I get up on my knees and I pull up her head from the ground. I see that her face is completely purple and then I hear the cannon. She's gone.

I lift her up onto the wooden table and I continue calling out her name. "Maddie! Wake up!", I scream. I refuse to let her go just yet. "Maddie!". I see a glistening gold key drop down from a hatch on the roof and land on her stomach. I pull it from her body and I read the white card tied to it. "One was good, one was bad. But there's more still to come, don't get sad."

This can't be happening. I know exactly what's going on. I don't even need to see what else lurks in this arena to know what it's based on. The thorn Cornucopia, the tower and the long golden hair, and now the poisoned apple; the arena is a twisted fairy tale, but only one can live and get out. Only one will get their happily ever after.

* * *

**So, the truth has been revealed... This is all an evil fairy tale! What do you guys think of the poisoned apple? I thought it was a pretty interesting way to die considering the theme. I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please favorite, follow and review the story! I've made another new poll because another tribute has died, and you BETTER VOTE OR YOU SHALL ALL DIE MWUAHAHA. You can vote three times.**

**Poor poor Maddie... Another one bites the dust! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Who will live? Who will die? What is next in this fairy tale arena?! You have to read to find out! And now for my signature sign off: Thank you so much for reading, byeeeeeee :) **


	22. The Beanstalk Up To The Clouds

**Daniel Arthurness/D3M/12:**

I eat the remains of the berries I collected before heading off again. Who knows how long I've been in here for? I've slept two times already, but maybe I've been in here for only one day. I would know if the sun finally came out again. Ever since the sun went down during the bloodbath, there's been nonstop darkness. Maybe that could change.

I seriously need food or I'm going to be in trouble soon. And a weapon. At least I'm free from Lucy. We wouldn't of had any weapons, but if we were still handcuffed, she could have easily strangled me. Obviously, we ditched each other, but I still hope that she's doing good. Or maybe she's dead. Probably not, but it's still possible.

I swerve in between the tight bundle of trees and I watch as the black crows hawk when I walk past them. Dropping a whole load of feathers, one of them shrieks as it flies into my head and then travels off into the sky. Stupid birds! Oddly enough, the sun starts to come out and the sky is bright blue within a minute.

Soon enough, I'm out of the forest and into a humongous field full of long grass that.. Out in the middle of the field is some sort of tall wooden stage with steps leading up to it. I already know that something dangerous is about to happen. I cautiously walk into the grass and over to the stage, eyeing every single spot in case of any attackers. Then I see something strange. The air seems to be wobbling... I pluck out a long piece of grass and I poke the spot, causing a small spark on the grass and making the huge force field come into view for a few seconds. Looks like I'm at the edge of the arena.

I climb up the steps and a small box awaits me on the floorboards. I lift open the two flaps and I see that there's only one thing inside; a small bean. Or at least it looks like a bean.

_What should I do? Eat it?, _I think to myself. There's got to be something more.. Or maybe this is it? Before I know it, I'm suddenly pelted on with severe rain. I pull up my hood and try to find shelter. The only way to find shelter is back in the forest. Then the thought hits me...

The rain. It started so quickly. It was almost unnatural. Maybe it _was _unnatural. Maybe.. The bean. I cup my hands, place the bean inside, and I hold my arms out. Nothing happens.. Maybe I'm just being foolish. I had heard of some sort of tale about a boy and a bean that turns into a beanstalk.. I'm just being crazy. I toss the useless bean off the stage and into the grass. I jump off the wooden stage and I begin to head back into the forest, but I hear some sort of stretching sound.

I turn around to see a large green vines beginning to twist around each other in the air, creating a huge stalk. _I must be seeing things,_ I think to myself. Maybe it only needed a bit of soil.. Oh my god.

Suddenly, the stalk shoots up into the air at supersonic speed, but it suddenly stops. A huge cardboard cloud falls from the sky and is left to hang by a few ropes just at the tip of the stalk. I rush over to the source and huge leaves begin to sprout from the stalk upwards in a spiral staircase. Curious, I begin to climb the stable leaves. This is insane. The Gamemakers must have spent a lot of time working on that bean to do this.

I make my way slowly up the stalk and I look out at the view. I can see the Cornucopia and some sort of tower. I'm certain some of the tributes are already making their way to me right now. I'm above the real clouds when I finally reach the fake cloud. I walk up off of the beanstalk, onto the cardboard, and I see a small wood shack.

Is this it? In the story there was a huge castle! Surely this can't be it! I open the door and enter the shack, but I'm gobsmacked by the supplies. There's apples, oranges, loafs of bread, bows, arrows, swords, knives; everything! I guess I'm not going to starve.

* * *

**Ash Slate/D12M/16:**

I spend the next few hours camped out in the underground tunnels, checking as many escape routes as possible. So far, I haven't ran into any tributes by stepping up the ladders. I just hope that no one knows I'm down here.

I finish off an unpeeled orange and I fill my bag with fresh fruit and arrows from the Cornucopia, not forgetting to grab a bow too. I jump down into the hole and I decide to investigate the remaining tunnel; the southern one. I walk down the lit cave and I open the trapdoors one by one, scanning the forest on the surface. Then I see a group of people. It's hard to make out who they are from the trees blocking out the view, but I'm pretty sure I see Kaiser and Sasha.

I lower my head down slightly and I hear their voices getting louder and louder. Then I see the other two; Ole and Glamour. They both seem to be a bit behind since Glamour is stumbling slowly while Ole is trying to keep her up straight. I turn my head back towards the others, but it's too late. Kaiser's eyes lock onto me and he starts to sprint towards me with a shout.

I quickly pull the flaps downwards and I sprint down the long tunnel. I've been down here for hours walking so there's going to be no escape. The dimness is defeated and the whole tunnel is full of light. They've opened the doors. I glance over my shoulder to see Kaiser and Sasha jumping down and beginning to chase after me. They're not followed by Ole and Glamour who both must be waiting in the forest. I feel my socks getting wet and I look down to see a foot tall stream of water rapidly shooting down the tunnel. A trap door opens up on the floor in front of me and I immediately stop before I fall into the dark bottomless pit.

The sounds of feet splashing in the water are getting closer and I know that I have to make a choice. I leap over the pit and I land safely on the other side, but now there's another stream pushing me down into the pit.

The water rises a bit and I try to push through the force. It seems to be working. I make it long enough so I turn my head around. A key that's tied to a string lowers down from the ceiling and hangs over the pit, taunting Sasha and Kaiser. "One, two, three!", they scream, followed by them both jumping over. I watch as they both bash into each other while in the air. Sasha quickly grabs the key and she lands on the other side, but Kaiser falls downwards into the pit and his weight begins to pull her down too. She shrieks in pain. The cuffs must be digging very hard into her wrist.

"Either you go down or we both go down!", she yells to Kaiser. "I don't want to do this but I'll die if I don't!". She puts the key down into the pit and I know what she's doing. I can't see her unlocking her cuff, but I know Kaiser has been sent to his doom when I hear his scream and his cannon. Sasha lets out one last gasp and she collapses on the floor, panting and grabbing her wrist in pain. If I go for her now, she will be an easy kill. It will be one more chance to getting out of here. Two careers will be dead. That would be extremely helpful. But she looks so innocent. Now she's bawling, clearly oblivious that I'm still here with my machete armed.

I can't kill her. It would be too cruel to do it. I'm not that evil. Or this could be a ploy...

Knowing that I'm not going to kill her, I grab the arrows from my backpack and I aim my bow directly at her head. "Go now or I'll shoot you," I say. She tilts her head up and and shields her face. "Go now!", I scream. She slowly stands up and I see a glare come from behind her. The sword slips out from the scabbard and her weeping face turns devilish. "No!", she screams. Within a flash, she throws the key at me and I'm forced to jump backwards onto the floor and I try to swerve my legs away from the incoming slashes of the sword.

"Stop. Moving.", she says fiercely. I sword cuts deep on my cheek and I feel the blood trickle out down my neck. "You should have been dead with all those wounds back at the Cornucopia!", she screams. She brings the blade down towards my legs, but I spread them open and it hits the empty space. I quickly aim my bow and I let the arrow fly, watching as it pierces the side of her ear and she squeals.

She's totally open to be killed or seriously wounded, but the rest of my arrows are in my backpack. I jump up and I scramble down the tunnel, but I hear her footsteps. She grabs my backpack and pulls me backwards. I'm tossed to the floor and she stabs the sword into my stomach. I grab onto the sharp blade and try to pull it out, but my hands are numb and I can't get a good grasp.

I wince in pain when she lifts it out, the tip now covered in thick red blood. "I'm so sorry," she whispers. I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not, but it's too late to think about it. The blade slits my throat and I feel the blood pouring out. Sasha disappears somewhere behind me and I know I'm going to be left to die. I see the glistening gold key by my shoulder. She might remember about it and come back to collect it, then unlocking Ole and Glamour's cuffs. That's only going to make their chances of victory increased. I'm not letting those pricks win.

I try and forget about the pain and I grab the key, then stuff it into my rain coat pocket. So this is it. The blood is all over the ground and I know that I'm going to go now. I close my eyes slowly and I think about the times I had with Charm in the Capitol. She was always so bubbly and social. So innocent and sweet. Losing her was horrific. Now I'm going to lose myself. It's game over.

* * *

_President Snow watches as Fraux orders a Gamemaker to send off a cannon. "He's gone?", he asks. "Our tracker tells us that he's officially dead. He's lifeless," replies Fraux from up the crystal white balcony. "Very well then."_

_Snow stumbles up the stairs and into his own personal viewing room. He breaks a glass box with the word "EMERGENCY" written on it a picks up the syringe contained. He injects it into his arm and is expecting a wave of relief. But he still feels the same pain. _

_His heart starts pumping rapidly and he begins to sweat. He walks into the white chair and collapses to the floor. "Help," he whispers into the empty room. He gasps for his breath, knowing that if he was in the Games, a cannon would be sending off right now. He remembers the alert button on his wrist watch and he taps it, making the white walls begin to glow red. _

_The doctors are probably tracking his watch right now, but it could be too late. He closes his eyelids and has no power to fight off the pain. His crazy fairy tale of ruling Panem is about to end, but it's not ending with a happily ever after._

* * *

**Two people have died... Maybe even three! What did you guys think of this chapter?! Let me know in a review! Goodbye to Ash and Kaiser! They were great characters but they got the fewest votes to live. It's only fair to kill them both. MWUAHAHA.**

**Also, since two characters have died, I'm creating a new poll! You can vote three times in the poll, just to let you know! Thank you so much for reading, byeeee :)**


	23. Mirror Mirror

_"Breaking news! President Coriolanus Snow is in critical condition and is currently being treated in hospital," is heard from every television set in Panem as it cuts through the live feed of the Games._

_"Fraux," whispers Snow from the bed, with huge red blisters covering his entire face. "You have impressed me." He coughs violently and spits out flem into a tissue. "Thank you," says Fraux. "But I need you to go hard on the tributes even stronger. They haven't been through enough torture." Just then, a nurse presses a switch on the machine hooked up to Snow, and he suddenly lets out a sigh of relief. "The laxotium will keep you going for the next day," says the nurse before leaving the room.  
_

_"But Coriolanus-", Fraux gets out. "No," says Snow's hoarse voice. "Your plan with their blood better be prepared. If not, my last wish shall be to have you executed." Fraux obediently nods. "We're at the finishing touches of our plan. You'll see it soon," he says as he points to the television screen embedded in the wall. "I hope you get well soon," adds Fraux. He mysteriously vanishes out the door with a flick of his black cape, heading back down underground to the Control Room.  
_

_He walks through the rows of Gamemakers and into the science lab. "Fraux, it's just not working," complains one of the scientists after pulling off his goggles. "Maybe we should try again," says a female one. "No!", screams Fraux. "It's useless!". Then the thought hits him. He stands there in silence, thinking carefully about the idea. Then he comes to a conclusion._

_"Maybe the laxotium used for Snow could work."_

* * *

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

"I killed Ash," says Sasha as she climbs out of the hole. I immediately notice something strange. I just can't put my finger on it... "Where's Kaiser?", asks Glamour. That's when I know what's wrong. Sasha isn't handcuffed to him anymore. "There was two cannons," says Sasha. "One for Ash.. And one for...".

She doesn't finish off the rest of her sentence because we all know where she's going. "Don't cry," I say to Sasha who's beginning to tear up. "I found a key before he got killed," she says. "How'd he die?", asks Glamour. Sasha shakes her head and refuses to answer. "You don't have to explain it if you don't want to," I say before placing my hand on her shoulder. "There's secret tunnels down there," she croaks.

Sasha leads us down the hole and into the dark tunnel. "There was a hole here but it seems to be gone," says Sasha as we walk over the spot that she's pointing to. We venture on and on down the long path for about an hour, until we reach a central location. "Three others," I say. Up above us is a big hole that seems to have caved in. "Is that..." whispers Glamour as she peers her head outside. "We need to get out of here."

Sasha and I help push Glamour out, leaving me to push Sasha out and then climb out myself. Facing us, now seemingly tripled in size, is the thorn Cornucopia. We give each other excited looks. We're going to be loaded! Food and weapons for days! Looks like our chances of winning have improved. We end up restocking on berries and bread, replacing our old weapons with new ones and getting more knives for Glamour.

We begin our journey through the woods again in place of searching through the tunnels. We could get slaughtered down there. Firstly, I spot a shine glaring in between the trees. "What's that?", I ask, pointing to the spot. We slowly approach the shine with caution, our weapons ready to be used. That's when the shine settles, revealing a small barn-like structure with a mirror inside. "Be careful," warns Glamour.

We push open the gate and stand straight in front of the mirror. "What do we do?", asks Sasha. _CLICK!_ I hear a loud mechanical noise and a note drops out of the roof above us. I pluck it from the foot of the mirror and I read it aloud. "Ask three questions only," I say. "It's like that old fairy tale... Rain white! Or something like that..", says Sasha. "Three questions each?", asks Glamour. I nod. "I'll go first," she says.

She coughs and taps her chest. "Where are the tributes hiding?", she asks loudly. A swirl of mist puffs out from the mirror and travels in between our feet, beginning to flow a couple of feet into the forest. "In the arena," says a deep man's voice, coming from the inside of the mirror. We're all startled by the voice and we jump back. "Wow. The mirror is quite sarcastic!" yells Glamour in anger. "You," I whisper, and I point to Sasha.

"Which tribute is the weakest?", asks Sasha. The mirror pauses for a moment and then replies. "Any of the ones that have died." I chuckle lightly as Sasha begins to slash her sword on the fortified glass. "Ask who is the strongest!", she yells at me. But that wouldn't be a good question, at least for the viewers.

I understand exactly what they're doing behind the scenes. Why would they answer such useless questions? Knowing where the tributes are hiding is pretty useful to _us. _But is it useful to the nation of Panem? No. They want something entertaining. And I have the perfect question to entertain them but still be of great use to me.

"Are any of my allies preparing to back stab me?", I ask. Sasha stops yelling and she instantly falls silent. "Yes."

The mist vanishes and a crack runs across the middle of the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of little pieces. The glass shards fall to our feet and a key falls from the roof. Someone is preparing to back stab me. Is it Glamour or Sasha? If it was Glamour, they would of had to implant some sort of brain reader into her head. They never done that to me so it can't be her. That leaves Sasha. Maybe she was planning this all along with Kaiser. Who knows? They were handcuffed together, after all.

"They're probably just saying that to twist things up," says Sasha nervously, knowing that I'm onto her. She stares at me and starts to back away. "Lets go," she mumbles. "What if they weren't trying to twist things up," I say. "Oh really?", she says with a confident tone. "I guess your right." I'm not sure what Glamour knows and doesn't know, but I immediately pluck the key from the ground and sprint past Sasha before the sword hits me.

I hear a squeal just as I unlock my handcuff, and I'm pulled down to the floor as Glamour's bloodied body falls on top of me. The cannon blast echoes throughout the arena and I stare at the sword shining in her head, but I scramble out from under her and I run for my life. "Get back here!", screams Sasha. Wait a minute.. Why am I being a wuss? I should kill this betraying bitch! I turn around and I charge at her with my katana armed. She immediately backs away and I start to chase her. She's too far to reach.. She's way too fit to catch up to. I have to do something.

Without thinking, I send my katana through the air and I watch as it lodges into her left arm. She shrieks in pain and pulls it out, dropping it to the ground. She's run too far for me to catch up to her, but I do retrieve my bloody katana before heading off in the opposite direction.

* * *

**O mawh gawdy. Who expected that twist?!**

**And so, I end another chapter of this story... It was a short one, but don't fret, tomorrow's will be longer! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please review! I've also made another new poll with the updated tributes list. You can vote two times in it! **

**Also, goodbye to poor Glamour... She was a great tribute, but unfortunately, she didn't really start getting votes until the last three days. This just goes to show how important it is to vote the second I update a chapter. Why? Because if you don't come back onto for a few days, you'll have missed around four polls! It's so important! Please vote vote vote!**

**Thank you all so much for reading, I hope that you continue reading for the remainder of this story! Thank you so much, byeeee :)**


	24. The Beginning of The End

**Sasha Henlin/D2F/15:**

I eventually stop running when the sun begins to set and I keep scanning around the trees in case Ole pops out of nowhere. Maybe the plan would have worked if Kaiser didn't die. That way we could have killed Ole too, and I also would have been able to end Kaiser properly.

I put a bandage around the wound in my arm to stop it from bleeding. Ole did this to me. But he's going to regret it when I make him die a horrible and slow death. Suddenly, I hear some sort of rumbling noise and the leaves begin to scatter around. I vaguely see a hovercraft floating above the trees and I hear a thud. It instantly rises into the air and shoots off into the grey sky. Then I hear the snapping of twigs.

I raise my sword and I slowly walk forward, eyeing every little spot in the forest. "Sasha," I hear a muffled stiff voice say, almost like the person can see me. I know exactly what's happening when I see the long blonde hair flowing gently in the breeze. "Glamour," I say.

She stumbles towards me and I see the long gash of my sword across the scalp of her head. "I wasn't dead just yet," she moans as the wound pours blood. This is the most horrific thing I've ever seen. Blood stained skin and clothes, covered in dirt from the fall to the ground; she looks like a zombie. "Don't.. Kill..", she cries, holding up her hand in protection. The lone knife that hangs out of her jacket pocket shines in my face. She's even too weak to protect herself with that.. But I thought I killed her. I can't have her as an ally now. She'll die very soon from loss of blood. I should finish this job right now.

I make my grasp on the sword more firm and I charge towards her. "No!", she shrieks, letting the blood drip into her open mouth. I'm about to swing my sword when I notice something odd. Her wound looks different. Maybe it's larger. Maybe it's smaller. I don't know exactly, but it looks different... I swing my sword as hard as I can, aiming directly at her throat. I expect her to fall to the ground, eventually the cannon being sent off. But instead, her paper thin skin rips open, revealing the whole inside of her to be made of wood. Her hazel eyes immediately start to glow an eerie yellow color and the bottom half of her face crumbles, showing off her wooden mouth that moves up and down. This is not Glamour. They've just made this thing to look like her. This is a puppet.

"I told you not to attack me," she says, forcefully grabbing my arm. Patches of skin on her arms fall off, revealing her wooden structure. The wooden fingers dig into my arm and she begins to twist it around. I scream in pain and I try to slash her with my sword in my other hand, but it's no use. I look into her glowing eyes and I notice that they're not wood; they're real. They must have used Glamour's real eyes for this. I jab my sword into her left eye and her grasp loosens, freeing my arm. Her wooden mouth lowers, she lets out a scream, and it seals back up.

I immediately start sprinting for my life, occasionally glancing behind me to see her charging at me like a maniac. "Come back!", she screams. But I'm not going to. Suddenly, I see the wooden arms stick out from either side of me and they grab around my stomach. My foot is kicked and I'm sent straight to the ground. I struggle to escape and I roll over on my side to see that her facial skin has completely vanished. Now I'm staring at a human block of wood.

"Happy Hunger Games!", she exclaims, filling my mouth with her wooden hand. "And may the odds be ever in your favor!". She lifts her hand out of my mouth, letting me finally scream as loud as I can. But as my mouth is open, she stabs the knife down into the back of my throat.

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4/17:**

We're both startled by the sound of the cannon. "Only six left. I bet that someone's up that beanstalk already," says Eden as she slings a quiver around her shoulder. "Me too," I say. "Maybe we should go up after them. If we kill whoever's up there, it's one step towards making the final five." I open up a crate and I take a spear out. "Yeah," she says, "then we'll come back here to the Cornucopia."

We pack our bags with food, creams, ointments and medicines in case of emergency, and we immediately head outside. "Look," whispers Eden. I stare into the night sky and I see the canister floating down, connected to a parachute. We got a sponsor.

Eden disconnects the two metallic cases and a small vile falls to the ground from inside. "What is it?", I ask. Eden picks it up and reads out the label attached to it. "Poison."

"What will we do with that?", she asks. "We could.. poison someone." Eden tuts. "Well obviously. How?". I stand in silence for a moment, thinking about what we could do with it. We need to trick someone. Maybe... The thought pops into my brain. "Poison the food supplies in the Cornucopia." "Good thinking, but what if no one comes back?". I stare at the item container and I start to plot a wicked plan. "I know exactly what to do."

I snatch the vile from her hands and I pick up the container, then rushing back into the Cornucopia and over to the food supplies. I open up a fresh bottle of water, spill a bit out to create some space, and I pour the clear poison into the bottle. "You just wasted it!", fumes Eden. "Don't worry," I simply reply. I try as hard as I can to fit the bottle into the container and I seal it shut. "We'll trick a tribute into thinking they're getting a sponsor," I explain. Eden raises her eyebrows and looks at me obediently. "But it will take forever to find a tribute."

"Once again, don't worry," I say. "As we both agreed, there must be someone at the beanstalk."

Eden and I both head towards the beanstalk that towers into the dark night sky, up to a fake cloud. It looks like it's about three minutes away if you run. "This plan better work," says Eden. "Trust me, it will." I know it will. It has to. I've never been so confident in my life. Never has this happened before in the Hunger Games. We might even get a real sponsor just from this. I'm sure the audience will get a kick out of this. I do feel bad though.

I really don't want to kill anyone, but I have to if I want to get out of here. I'll feel relieved if our plan works and someone dies, but I'll feel like crap. This is all the Capitol's fault. They're turning me into a murderer. No, not the Capitol. It's Snow. Mister Coriolanus Snow. He could easily end the tradition of these Games within a second; he has the power to do anything. But instead, he thinks it's fun to watch teenagers kill one another. I just hope that when he dies, he feels the pain and torture that he made innocent kids go through. "What's that?", whispers Eden, pointing at the thing hanging from a branch on a tree. It's a blood red, torn cape, blowing lightly in the wind. "It looks like it's been clawed by an animal," I whisper.

We should run, we should escape while we can, we should understand the warning. But we don't. Instead we're greeted by a huge black, growling, vicious wolf that slowly creeps towards us. This is it. We've been in this arena for what seems like days, even though it's been night for the majority of this journey. There's only six of us left now. The Gamemakers are probably wanting the victor to be crowned within the next few hours.. But this is the one-hundredth Hunger Games. A lone wolf isn't going to be all that awaits us.

"There's a key on his collar," whispers Eden. Then I see it. The golden key that will unlock our handcuffs, helping us greatly. There's no way we're getting it though. We start to step backwards and the wolf growls louder. "Nice and slowly," I whisper to Eden.

This must be part one of the finale.

* * *

_"Snow, the laxotium suceeded in helping to create Puppet Glamour," says Fraux to the wrinkled man lying in the bed. Snow lets out a violent cough. "Press the button...", he whispers. Fraux cautiously taps the button on the machine, releasing the laxotium into the tube, and letting it flow throughout his body. "Thanks..", croaks Snow. "Sit down, Fraux.."_

_Fraux pulls over a stool to the bedside and props himself up onto it. "You should be in the Control Room... making sure... everything goes smoothly," says Snow. "I should be. I'll go down in a second," replies Fraux. "One last thing..", begins Snow. "I know that I'm going to die soon... but... when I do..."_

_Fraux leans forward and listens to his hoarse voice. "..I want you to replace me as president."_

* * *

**Dun... dun... DUN! What did you think of that action packed chapter?! We had Sasha's death by Puppet Glamour, we had Dathan and Eden create a plan to kill a tribute, we had them both encounter a wolf, and we had that cliffhanger; Snow telling Fraux that he wants him to be the president of Panem! *sigh of relief* That was crazy.**

**Here's a question: what fairy tale is that wolf from? There's an important detail about the setting that lets you know. Leave the answer in a review! Only the first person to give the answer will win! What do you win? One free vote to a tribute of your choice! I know what you're probably thinking. "Omg, only one? Liek wat da heck." Well guess what? The winner is only winning by a vote or two so EVERY VOTE COUNTS! I don't want to make it too unfair..**

**And guess what? Remember that thing I was talking about? About the fact that someone incorrectly guessed the twist but they correctly guessed something else that would happen? That was the puppet thing! Congratulations to... SeungriPanda98! I said that the person would get three votes as a reward, but that would be sort of unfair, so I'll give him/her only two votes. Congratulations!**

**Don't forget to vote in the poll! I've created a new updated poll and you can vote twice :)**

**If you liked this chapter, or if you didn't, please leave a review! Don't forget to favorite the story if you would like, and please vote in the poll. It's finally down to the final six! Now it's super important to vote so you can crown your winner! **

**As always, please read the next chapter! Now for my famous sign off: Thank you so much, *breathes in*, byeeeeee :)**


	25. PART IV, The Closing Curtains: The Hope

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

"Shoot the arrow," whispers Dathan as the wolf growls at us both, sending a shiver up my spine. How could I forget? I slowly raise my bow and the wolf steps forward. I pluck an arrow from my quiver and I aim my bow. Dathan has to raise his hand in order to allow me to shoot the bow. I let the arrow fly and I watch as it enters the wolf's eye. It roars in pain and it drops to the ground. "We're safe," says Dathan, now he's not whispering. But he's wrong. We're still not safe. Because just then, from the corner of my eye, I see another wolf sprinting towards us. "Run!", I scream.

I pull Dathan along with the handcuffs and- wait! The handcuffs! The key! "We forgot the key!", I shriek. "We're going to die if we go back!", exclaims Dathan. I don't care though. I pull him with me and I loop around a tree, heading backwards. The wolf is tricked and it continues to sprint past us, stopping in confusion as to where we're gone. "Quietly," I whisper. We hastily sneak over to the lifeless body and I try to take the collar off. I push a button on the leather and it clicks apart. "Hurry!", orders Dathan. I pull the key off and I free us both, but I see the other wolf staring at us now. "He's found us," I say. "Throw your spear."

Dathan tosses the spear and it shoots straight through the wolf and into the ground, stapling him down. "There'll probably be more," he says as we rush over to the body. The wolf squirms around makes howls of pain. Dathan forcefully pulls the spear out and the wolf lets out one last howl before falling completely silent. "Run," says Dathan, staring at something behind me. I don't need to turn around for me to know that there's another.

He grabs my hand and pulls me forward, heading towards the beanstalk that looms behind the cramped trees. "Quick! Shoot!", he screams. Another wolf appears from ahead of us and leaps into the air. I quickly grab another arrow from my quiver and shoot the bow, making the wolf howl and drop to the ground mid air.

We fasten our pace and continue to sprint. "Almost there," I say, seeing the horde of trees beginning to end. We run out into a expansive field, out towards the beanstalk. Then I see a pair of brown eyes peering out from the tall grass. I pull Dathan back and I point towards the figure. I shoot another arrow, and when I hear the groans of the wolf, we continue to sprint on.

We make it to the base of the stalk and see huge leaves sticking out upwards in a spiral staircase. We quickly run up the leaves in a panic, knowing that another creature could be chasing us. My grasp on the sponsor container firms. It's almost time. A grey mist begins to appear the more we go up. "Watch your step," I say to Dathan who's trailing behind me. It's almost impossible to know where I'm stepping. I could easily be sent plummeted to the ground if I make one wrong movement. It also doesn't help now that it's beginning to lash rain from the real clouds that are floating above the fake ones. "Be careful," says Dathan. My foot slips on a wet leaf and I wobble. "Help!", I scream. My other foot slips and I'm sent backwards. Luckily, Dathan grabs onto me before I fall off the side. "I told you to be careful," he jokes.

We're way too high up for a wolf to get to us so we stop for a breather. "Good teamwork," I say to Dathan. "Indeed," he replies. I look out at the beautiful scenery of the arena and I see a person walking down below us. "Look," I say, pointing to the figure. They're way too far below to see who it is, or even if it's a male or female. "Should we?". I hold up the sponsor container and I await for Dathan's reply. "Yes."

* * *

**Roscoe Tarpan/D10M/17:**

I stumble across the field in hopes that I can find some sort of food. I've had nothing, not even water. I need something. I feel my insides beginning to rumble and I feel like I'm going to throw up. Just anything. A scrap of bread would even do me. All I need to do is find the Cornucopia and I'll be better. But right now, I'm in a terrible condition. I hear a thud and I look around to see what made the noise. Sitting there, on the ground, is some sort of box connected to a parachute. A sponsor.

I stagger over to the container and lift it up. Someone at home knows what I'm going through. They know I need food. They know I need something. This could be a life saver. This could help me get back on track to winning and getting home. Trying to not get my hopes to high, I pull it apart to see a large bottle of water placed inside.

This is what I need. Water. I haven't had water since I was back in the Capitol. I pull the bottle out and twist the cap open. I pour a bit on my hand and I know that it's real. This isn't a trick. This is real water. I gulp almost half of the bottle down and I taste an odd tang from it. It's not anything important to note though. I instantly feel relieved, my body being cleansed. I go in for another bit of it and I begin to feel a bit itchy.

This is amazing. I've never felt so happy in my life. This can keep me going for another while until I find the Cornucopia. I dispose of the container and I put the lid back on the water. I better save some for later. Now, back to the stalk.

I slowly climb up the leaf staircase and the itching increases. Then my breathing begins to feel weird. I scratch my hand and then a small blister appears. Something bad is happening. The little red bumps begin to grow all over my body and a sharp pain grows from inside each of them. I fall against the stalk and I try to catch my breath, but I can't. I place my hands on my chest and I try to take in the air. My throat feels like it's closing and I know that something was wrong with that water. This can't be the end.

My legs begin to shake mercilessly and a pain shoots through both of them. I gasp and I fall off the side of the stalk. This is the end. I won't survive a drop this long. But if I do, I'll still die from that water. This isn't like the hunger that I was going through. There was definitely something in that water. I know that it was sponsored, but I'm certain that it was dodgy.

The flush of air makes my eyes tear up so I close them gently. I feel a tiny blow against the side of me and I think I've hit the ground. The pain of the water has taken over my body so much that the drop to the ground feels like nothing. I might not have even hit the ground. I really don't know. But what I do know is that I'm not going to be able to open my eyes ever again.

* * *

**Daniel Arthurness/D3M/12:**

The bang of the cannon makes me swallow the crust of the bread, and I choke on it for a few seconds. I step out of the shack, drinking out of my water bottle. I peer down over the edge of the stalk and scan the area. _I'm safe,_ I think. But then I see someone lying on the ground. That cannon belongs to that person. I hope that they fell off the beanstalk to their death. But if someone killed them, then I'm in danger.

The idea of someone stalking me down below frightens me, so I head into the shack and grab bow and a couple of arrows. I lay the arrows on the ledge of the cloud and I peer down over the side. That's when I see two tributes staring up at me on a leaf. Dathan and Eden. They quickly rush up a few steps until they're out of sight on the other side of the stalk. I grab an arrow and I aim at the corner, ready to shoot it when they come back out. But before I know it, Eden steps out with her own bow and her arrow comes flying at my face. I try to dodge it, but I fail. I feel a sharp pain in my forehead and I feel the blood dripping out.

Totally out of control, I fall and I roll down the beanstalk. I come to a stop and I slowly close my eyes. The last thing that I see is Eden and Dathan stepping over my body and continuing upwards.

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

After we step over his body, the sound of the cannon blasts throughout the arena. "Only four left," I say. I should be buzzing with excitement, but I'm not. I'm happy that I'm so close to getting home, but killing people to get home isn't the nicest thing to do. It also makes me extremely nervous. Soon enough, Eden and I are going to have to turn on each other. I don't want to be the one to go first but I don't want to be attacked either.

We make it to the top of the stalk and step out onto the flat surface of the cloud. "He was probably living in there," says Eden, pointing to a small wooden shed. We investigate inside and we find food, weapons, medicines and lots of other helpful things. It's basically a mini Cornucopia. "What should we do now?", I ask Eden who's peeling an orange. It takes her a few moments to think and then answer. "I have no idea."

"Neither," I say. What should we do? Search for the other two tributes? Who even _are _the other tributes? Even if the last two are careers, that means the other two careers have died. That could mean that they're weak. Maybe the remaining careers are badly injured. The possibilities are endless. "If the two tributes are careers, that means that the other careers have been killed," says Eden. Great minds obviously think alike.

We snack on some fruit and toss some into our backpacks as the sun begins to rise. I think back to the previous years' Games. It's always around the final four or five that-

A loud voice booms out around the arena. "Attention tributes. The next time the sun falls and the moon rises, a feast shall take place at the Cornucopia. But this will be no ordinary occasion... That is all."

And that _is _all. Without needing to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of going, Eden and I both nod our heads in union. "What do they mean when they say that it will be no ordinary occasion?", asks Eden. I shrug my shoulders. "I'm not sure," I say. "But this is the one-hundredth year of the Hunger Games. It certainly won't be an ordinary occasion."

* * *

**Another action packed chapter has been finished! We had two characters die today: Roscoe and Daniel. Unfortunately, they both had the fewest votes so they got the chop. They did get a lot, however. Just not enough.**

**We are now down to the FINAL FOUR! A brand new poll has been opened and you can only vote once. Who will win? Who will die? How many chapters are left? Find out soon...**

**Whether you liked or disliked this chapter, please leave a review if you have time! It's always appreciated :)**

**Also, what do you think is up with the feast? What's going to happen? You're going to have to read the next chapter to find out!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And here comes the typical sign off: Thank you so much for reading, byeeeeee :)**


	26. The Feast

**Retta Coppen/D7F/17:**

After hours and hours of walking, the sun begins to fall in the horizon. My legs are trembling, but there's no time to rest. The feast shall be beginning any moment now and the Cornucopia is nowhere to be seen. I don't know what's going to happen if I don't get there. Actually, that's a lie. I _do _know what's going to happen. I'll probably starve.

My stomach makes growling noises and I luckily keep the last bits of food down. Now I'm keeping myself up by holding onto trees. The sun has completely vanished and I'm left to stroll around in complete darkness. Something's different to the last night. It's a lot darker. I can barely see where I'm walking. I look up at the starless sky to see some sort of weird blank circle. It almost looks like a hole to hold the moon.

The moon is around a meter away from the circle when the Cornucopia comes into my sight. I've made it! I've done it! And it looks like I'm first. I stay put at the edge of the clear plain and I scan the area. No one's here yet; or at least that's what I think. I glance back up to the sky to see that the moon is practically an inch away from the circle.

Suddenly, something unexpected happens. The moon slips into the slot with a loud click, and nothing happens for a moment. Then a huge eruption of fire and smoke explodes from the edge of the moon with a bang, letting a section of the moon crack and fall to the sky, leaving the moon in a shape of a waning crescent. The falling remains of the moon crashes down somewhere else in the arena. This is going to be quite the show.

After the magical spectacle, I look out at the thorn Cornucopia. A snow white table finished with a blood red blanket over the top rises up into the arena at the entrance to the Cornucopia. Unconsciously, I sprint out from the trees and straight across to the Cornucopia. I quickly eye the left and right sides of me to check if there's any other tributes. But there's not. I reach the table to find nothing but a glass slipper sitting there. Nothing else.

I grab the glass slipper and I examine it closely. There's got to be something else. There's just got to be! There's no food! I'm going to starve! Then I stare into the Cornucopia behind the table. There's only a few weapons left and there seems to be a shelf filled with fruit and bread. There's my only chance.

I curve around the table with the slipper in hand, and I sprint towards the food shelf. I have to get out of here quickly, so I only grab two apples. Immediately, I take a huge bite out of one. The sourness makes me suck my lips but it tastes so nice and juicy. I finish it down to the core within a few seconds and it refuses to go down. I stagger outside, both hands on my stomach, and I collapse on the table.

The apple chunks reach the top of my throat and it pours out from my mouth. I know there's more to come, so I try to burp it all out before leaving. After one last explosion of food and half my guts, I start to wobble my way back into the forest... or at least that's what I thought I would do.

Standing right in front of me, machete firmly in his grasp, is Ole. I'm too weak to run. All I do is stumble backwards, watching as he slowly approaches me. "No!", I yell. "Yes," he says. There's something weird. Back in training in the Capitol, he sounded different. Something's up.

I fall backwards and his eyes flash yellow just as he raises the machete, and I watch as another Ole sprints out from the forest.

* * *

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

I'm heading towards the Cornucopia, but from the corner of my eye, I spot a girl on the ground with some boy hovering above her. I change my direction and I head towards them both. If I kill both of them, it will be me and one last person left to battle. I'll be so close to victory.

I'm right at the two when I notice something odd. The girl is Retta, the female tribute from District 7. But the boy...

I slam my machete down on his head, but it's stopped from going deep down. His head is as hard as a rock. He turns to face me and I stare into my own eyes. Brown with occasional changes to neon yellow. It's a corrupted version of me. "Hello me," it says in a static version of my voice. How could they do this? How _did _they do this? This seems quite impossible to do! That's when the flashback to the Reaping plays in my brain. The blood. They took my blood. Sucked it into a syringe for later use. This was what it was for.

Directly ahead of us, storming out of the forest with an axe, is another version of Retta. I slice through the other Ole's face with my machete, and I watch as all it's skin shreds into nothing, revealing his wooden insides.

His face, his arms, his hands, his legs; everything is wooden. All but two things. His two eyes that twitch around in the wooden sockets. It looks just like a puppet. That's what I'll call them.

I push Puppet Ole to the ground just before it gets a clean hit on me with it's machete, and I'm suddenly tackled to the ground. The long brown hair dangles down onto my face and I punch Puppet Retta in the face. I quick rise into a kneeling position and I send the machete crashing down onto her stomach. But nothing happens. The only damage a door is a small slice in the wood. I'll be here for hours trying to kill them. There's got to be some way to finish them off. That's when I stare into her twitching eyes.

Immediately, I stab the tip of my into her left air and it explodes, raining down blood and flesh onto me. An eye should not react like that or be that gory. It's all for more entertainment. The puppet's wooden mouth lowers about two inches, lets out what sounds like Retta's scream, and shuts back up again. I stab into the right eye, and once again, it explodes unnaturally.

I rise to my feet and I look at my surroundings. The short grass and myself are both covered in blood from the eyes. Then I see Puppet Ole on top of Retta. I rush over to them both and I lift up the Puppet and toss it to the ground. I jump down onto it and it screams exactly like me. This is too weird. Too creepy. How did the Gamemakers get that sound? It doesn't matter. I need to concentrate.

I burst open the two eyes with my blade and it screams even more than Puppet Retta. It's almost like the Gamemakers are taunting me with the screams. Refusing to shut up, I pull on the slab of wood that seems to be it's lower lip. The block snaps off easily and a waterfall of blood starts pouring out. It almost seems like real blood.. Maybe it is. Is this the blood they took from me at the Reaping? No, they can't do that.. That's too cruel. Too disgusting... or would they?

I walk over to Retta who lies there in horror, covered in eye blood. "Thank you for-". "No," I say. "We're not allies now." She scrambles backwards and gasps, all while staring at me. She screams as I raise my blade, but I'm suddenly knocked to the ground again. This time, both Dathan and Eden are hovering above me. Puppets or not, they're ready to kill me.

Appearing behind them is another two replications of them. Who are the puppets? Who are the humans? I don't know. I slash Dathan's cheek with my machete and blood comes pouring out. There's no wood inside.

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

Eden pulls me back and I gasp. I drop of blood falls onto my hand and I feel a sharp pain shoot through my cheek. There's no time to sort out the cut though. Ole stands up and pushes me, sending me falling on top of Retta. I watch as Ole stabs the eyes of the other me, making an explosion of blood and sending it to the ground. Then he does the same to Eden. I roll myself off of Retta and I scream her name. One version of her drops to the ground and another is coming towards me. The one coming to me better be the real one.

"Dathan! Hurry!", she shrieks, holding out her hand. I grab onto it and she pulls me up. All four of us stand there in silence, staring nervously and waiting for someone to make a move. Ole is panting and he's staring devilishly at us, but Retta is staring at him with some sort of glass shoe in her hand. She gets up off the ground and she rushes over to him, stabbing the pointing heel into his shoulder.

Eden and I, without having to tell each other, both start sprinting towards the forest. I hear Ole screaming in pain from the hit, but it's shortly followed by Retta's yells. I glance over my shoulder just in time to see Ole's machete slam into her stomach, making a burst of blood spray out. "He's got her!", I say in shock to Eden. The end of the screams makes me know what's next. Then it happens. The cannon sounds.

After a while of sprinting, then slowing down to a run, then a brisk walk, we both decide that it's safe to stop. "Dathan...", says Eden. "We're in the final three." This is what determination and hope has led us both to. I'm so close to getting back home. Araxie is probably missing me so much right now. She'll be devastated if her boyfriend dies. I must make it out for her. And Leith... He probably doesn't want his best friend to die either. I need to get out for him too. For both of them.

The only person left to kill is Ole. He's a career. He's dangerous, strong, violent and vicious. He's going to be tough. And even if we do beat him, it's only Eden and I left. What happens then? Who makes the first move? After being in this arena together for every single second, our friendship has grown to new levels. I can't even put the thought of our final battle through my head.

"Hug," I say. Without any 'buts', she immediately reaches in. This isn't just for the camera. This is a real friendship. I know in her movement and her presence that she really means this hug. We're so close to the end. I can feel it. After all this chaos: the bloodbath, the beanstalk-

The beanstalk!

That's when the idea hits me. "Eden," I say sternly, freeing myself from her grasp. "We need to get to that beanstalk."

* * *

***Starts singing* The tributes all went in by two by two! By two! *Stops singing***

**What did you think of this action-packed chapter?! We are now down to the final three! Unfortunately, we all said goodbye to Retta in this chapter. Here's a fun fact about her: she once had the most votes and was in line to be the winner. Obviously, because she came fourth, that did change. **

**I've created a new poll for everyone to vote in! It's down to the final three so it's super important to vote! Every vote counts! Ole, Dathan and Eden. Who shall be the winner? Who shall be the runner up? Who shall come third? ONLY YOU DECIDE!**

**If you liked or disliked this chapter, please leave a review if you want to! It's always appreciated, even if it's a negative review. I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! Thank you so much for reading, byeeeeeee :)**


	27. The Wicked Witch

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

I stumble into the _Cornucopia_ groaning, covering the wound with my hand to prevent any more blood from escaping. My jacket and my t-shirt underneath are both soaked with thick blood. The only thing I got from this feast was an injury. Nothing else. There was no food or weapons like the other years. It was all just a ploy to round us up together. All just for the audience's entertainment. Screw this.

I sit down on a crate and try to unzip my backpack with my trembling hands. I twist the lid off the ointment container and I smother my shoulder with the substance. It stings severely. Almost like being attacked by thousands of wasps. Trying to fight the pain is pointless so I just collapse back onto the crate, letting the stinging take over me.

Just perfect. I'm going against two allies all on my own with an injured shoulder. Obviously, I need a lot of time to rest and heal. But this is the Hunger Games; stopping to have a break for a few days is not entertaining for the viewers.

I slowly stagger over to another crate and flip it open. Contained inside are around a dozen apples and oranges and a few packets of nuts. I sit back down on the other crate and I slowly munch on two packets of the nuts. The salt coating makes me thirsty, but there's a problem. There's no water left. I search through my backpack to find no bottles left. It will take me a couple of days to die of dehydration, but the Games will probably be over then. The lack of water doesn't seem like as much as a problem now, but I'll be weak. Fighting Dathan and Eden will be harder. These Games are starting to become very tough.

After finishing the packets of nuts, I lie back on the crate and look up at the thorn ceiling, twitching away slowly. Apparently, I fell asleep shortly after, because I'm suddenly awakened by sounds of whispers.

I jolt up and my shoulder already feels slightly better. It's still painful, but I'm able to swerve my arm around a lot more. I pick up my machete and I slowly creep outside into the darkness. I scan the area but I see no one. Were the voices in my dreams? Probably. Relieved, I turn around to head back inside, but my eyes are laid upon both Dathan and Eden, standing still around the side of the Cornucopia.

It's two against one. Technically, they have a high chance of killing me. They're weak though. At least I think. Eden raises her bow and pulls back on the arrow, aiming straight towards me. "Looks like karma is going to bite you," she says bitterly. "No. I'm mistaken. Karma is going to shoot you straight through the heart." Dathan lowers his spear and steps behind Eden gingerly. There's no escape for me now. I examined her skills during training and I can confirm that she's deadly with a bow. Bullseye on nearly all the targets she shot.

"Karma? For what?", I ask, trying to keep her talking while I think of an escape plan. "You and your friends tried to kill me earlier. I thought that we had agreed on being allies," she says. "Shoot him!", orders Dathan. "He's trying to trick you!".

Eden hesitates for a moment. "Shoot him!". At first, I think it's just the wind blowing her hair back. But the air is calm and stable. Then I see the hand wrapped around her ponytail. Dathan yanks her black hair so hard that she screams and drops to the ground. Instead of running, I stare at what's unfolding right in front of my very eyes. There's two Dathans. Not this shit again.

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

Dathan yanks his lookalike off of me and stabs his spear through it's stomach. It's skin crumbles, revealing that the inside of it is made from wood. It's a puppet. "Get an axe," says Dathan. He drags me to the entrance of the Cornucopia and he grabs two axes from on top of a crate, handing one to me. Ole catches up to us and is about to slam his machete down on me, but I dodge at the last second. It skewers down into the crate and we both flee while he struggles to get it out.

We sprint across the plain towards the forest. "Almost there, keep it up," pants Dathan, his face turning red. We reach the edge of the forest, and just as we're about to enter, thorns shoot up out of the ground and ring around the circular flat land. "It's a trap! The Gamemakers want this to be the final battle! The climax! The end!", I shriek. "Calm down and cut your way through!", orders Dathan.

As he said to do, we both mercilessly hack away at the thick wall of vines, but we both hearr an evil cackling noise, shortly followed by a loud bang. We stop for a moment and we turn to see Ole, standing meters away confused, and Puppet Dathan, who seems to be as still as a statue. The Gamemakers must have powered him off.

"Look," whispers Ole, pointing up towards the sky. I see a trapdoor beneath one of the clouds flap open, dropping out a body. It's very far away, but that doesn't stop me from seeing the black leather clothes, the acid green skin and the pointed hat. The witch slams down onto the spiked vine roof of the Cornucopia and stares us all down. A drop that high should have killed her. Forget the drop. The spikes should have killed her. This thing looks dangerous.

About six or seven ropes shoot down from the misty sky and they stick onto the green witch. Then I notice that she looks made of wood. Her bottom lip lowers; she lets out a screech, then it rises back up. Instantly after, a black broom flies out of the sky and swoops up the witch, heading directly towards us. Puppet Ole is powered back up and begins to run towards us, and Ole is now sprint towards us too for his life. A black ashy smoke begins to pour out from the end of the broom, looking lethal and dangerous. The witch lets out a horrific cackle of laughter which alerts Dathan and I to start escaping.

We both chop at the last few thorns and I grab onto Dathan's hand. "No! We won't get through safely!", yells Dathan. But there's no time left. Ole and the Puppet Dathan are on our heels and the witch's laugh is getting louder. "It's now or never."

I leap through the crack with Dathan, and we both scrape off the thorns, landing with a thud on the other side. I feel sharp pains shoot through my body, but I don't have time to check the damage. Ole and the Puppet jump through the wall of thorns and over us both, then they continue to sprint for their lives. The smell of the ash intoxicates my lungs and I order Dathan to pull his jacket over his nose.

We stumble through the forest, Dathan slightly sprinting on ahead, and I hear a huge laugh. The witch blasts through the thorns and shoots past me, blowing a gust of the smoke into my face. I feel my skin melting and I drop to the ground screaming loudly. I tilt my stinging head up from the dirt and I watch as the Puppet Dathan and someone else dodges the witch's smoke, but the other person is engulfed in it.

The cannon blasts and I scream Dathan's name. Either Dathan or Ole is dead.

* * *

**We are down to the final two... Eden and- who is the last person?! You can continue to vote for Eden, Ole and Dathan- but whoever dies (either Ole or Dathan), their votes between now and the next chapter will go to waste. Who got the least votes resulting in their death? Find out in the next chapter!  
**

**As I just said, you need to VOTE VOTE VOTE! We're down to the final two so every vote counts! And let me tell you this little secret: currently, the winner is winning by three votes. It's not a big difference so you need to vote continuously! Vote!**

**Also, if you have time, please drop a review! I'd love to know your thoughts on this crazy chapter! :)  
**

**The final battle is approaching... Who will be against Eden? Her own ally, Dathan? Or her enemy that betrayed her, Ole? Either way, whoever is against her will guarantee a crazy finale. *puts on deeps X Factor voice and plays intense music* DATHAN? OLE? ONLY YOU DECIDE!**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope that you read the next one! Whatever happens after this chapter will be intense and full of plotting and story! Also, are you happy that you got two chapters in one day?! I hope you are! Thank you so much for reading, byeeeeeeeee :)**


	28. The Chase

**Ole Beyon/D1M/18:**

I gasp and continue to cough, trying desperately to fight back against the black ash as it melts down the trees. I feel it swirling around in my lungs and I cough up a dark spit substance. I've no water. How am I going to tackle this virus inside me without water?

I stare at Dathan's lifeless body, lying on the ground covered in the black dust. The puppet version of Dathan sprints away into the woods, but a ramp falls down on the ground and he runs down it into a crystal white hallway. Looks like the Gamemakers are tired of him. Eden begins to twitch around from the corner of my eye so I begin to scramble. The witch spots me and stares me down, refusing to chase after me. The air is beginning to rapidly fill with the black clouds and I know that I'll be dead if I don't do something. It's hard to see through the smoke and I know that I won't make it out alive if I try to escape. I need to kill the witch.

"Hey-" I cough and spit out some mucus onto the ground. "Ugly!", I shriek. The ropes attached to her broom begin to move her forward towards me slowly. "Try and catch me!". Immediately, I begin to sprint deep into the forest, the ash clouds almost covering every little air pocket. I hear a horrible cackle and I know she's chasing me. I have a plan.

Instantly, I turn to the left and I glance at the witch who's continuing to follow me. Now to the left again. I turn in the direction and I see the witch turn in the same way after me. Her laugh abruptly comes to a stop. Now she lets out something that sounds more like a scream of rage. I look over my shoulder and I see the ropes beginning to tangle, holding her back greatly. She tries to force her way towards me, but she's not even moving a budge.

"Come on!", I taunt. Now that she's up close to me, I can make out all her features. Lifeless painted eyes that both look like they we're rushed while being painted by the Gamemakers, a curved green triangular nose, sharp and black wooden eyebrows, all topped off with a thick layer of green paint.

Refusing to accept her defeat, she tries to charge towards me, but I hear small little cracking noises. Something's going to go down. She's tangled like a fly in spiderweb, but either her power is going to bring the trees down or she's going to rip through the ropes. Even though that's quite impossible, I wouldn't underestimate her. She looks _dangerous. _

Her eyebrows suddenly point downwards, making her face look fierce and angry. I hear the cracking again and she lets out a mighty roar. Each of the ropes that are attached to her limbs are too strong. Her joints snap and every part of her body falls apart and collapses to the ground. Both her arms and legs, her two feet, her hands, her head, her neck, all of her fingers; they all disconnect. The green body parts wither away into the air, never to be seen again, while the ropes are reeled back up into the mist in the sky instantly.

"Dathan!", I hear Eden screaming. "Dathan!". Despite the witch's death, her broom is still floating in between the trees, spraying out the lethal black gas. The air is completely smothered in the stuff. I cup my hands over my nose and mouth and try to run through the forest. Is this how I die? Is this how Eden wins? I'm not letting the Gamemakers get away with this.

I stumble over the twigs and dirt piles for minutes until I'm out in a grassy field which contains the humongous beanstalk. I stare at the structure, towering up into the sky, but it stops at one of the cardboard clouds. If I'm correct, this thing is from a fairy tail. I recall reading it in school when I was around four or five. Henry and the Beanstalk? Timothy? Jake? I'm not sure, but it's one of them. And in the story, there was a castle full of riches awaiting at the top. Obviously there's not a castle at the top of this one... or is there?

Curious, I begin to approach the stalk, walking up the huge leaf steps. As I start to get higher into the sky, I breathe in deep breaths to clear my system of the gas. Fresh air is all I need. It feels so much better. I've already been climbing up for about ten minutes, but I'm not even halfway. After searching what lies on the top, I'll head back down and kill my final victim. I can already hear the man's voice booming around the arena: "Congratulations to Ole Beyon- victor of the one-hundredth Hunger Games!".

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

"Dathan!", I scream in his ash-covered face. I shake his body, hoping for one last word to croak out. But he doesn't do anything. He's dead. The cannon blasted off. I need to accept the fact.. But I just can't. I should be happy that he's dead; I don't have to kill my own ally during the final battle. But now I have to face Ole on my own. He betrayed me. He tried to kill me! How am I going to kill a person that is manipulative and deadly? I need to think of something... Ole's plan!

Why did he want to go to the beanstalk after the Feast? Why did he give me an axe? He never told me why; he was always so quiet when I asked him why. And now I know why he was always so quiet. Now I know what his plan was. He was so quiet because he didn't want the Gamemakers to know their huge error when designing the arena. It's a dangerous thing to do, but I'm going to do it anyway.

"Goodbye," I whisper to Dathan, my eyes starting to tear up. I try to hide my face while I wipe my eyes, trying to prevent anyone from seeing me cry. I stand up slowly and I place one of my arrows on his stomach. He's going to die honoring our friendship.

I try not to look back at him while I walk away. I really don't want to get emotional again. Just when I'm refocused, I spot the witch's broom. A small puff of gas comes out from the rear, but suddenly, there's a huge explosion of the black ash and it begins to pour out again. It fills the air and I'm coughing relentlessly. I feel puke rising up my throat, but I manage to keep it down.

The ash engulfs me completely and I drop to the ground making choking sounds. I feel my throat being clogged and I manage to catch a glimpse of Dathan one last time. Dathan. The plan. The broom; I know exactly what to do! Fighting back as much as I can, I get back up and storm over to the broom. I twist it around so I'm the ash is spraying out at the other end. I instantly feel a bit relieved now that it's not pouring into my face. I grab as hard as I can on the broom and I walk through the forest with it.

This is it. Ole is going to be no match for me. I watch as the smoke covers the trees, completely savaging them within seconds until there's nothing left. This is just going to speed up Dathan's plan... if this is his plan. I'm only guessing that this is what he wanted to do, but I'm pretty certain it is.

I walk out into the field and I march towards the beanstalk. Then I notice a small black dot making it's way up it high in the sky. It must be Ole. Frightened for his life, he's fleeing. But not for much longer..

I hold the broom up and I watch as it eats away at the base of the stalk. It's taking longer to destroy then a simple tree, but it is a huge beanstalk after all. I shouldn't be surprised. I hear snapping and I know that Dathan's plan is working, but suddenly, the ash stops oozing out from the end of the broomstick. The Gamemakers must have realized what I'm doing and they know the plan. They've stopped the broom from working. Furious, I toss it into the grass. I raise my axe and I begin to hack away at the stalk.

If I'm correct, I believe that Dathan's plan was to chop down the beanstalk and send it crashing down into the forest, killing Ole if he was in there. There was a high chance that Ole would be nowhere near the space where it would hit, and Dathan's plan would fail. But now Ole is _on _the beanstalk. Once I chop it to the ground, there's no way that he's going to escape his fate.

* * *

_"Stop her from chopping it down! Quick! It's going to cause too much destruction! You know-". _

_"Fraux, please calm down," says Cassie, one of the Gamemakers. "I know what to do!", shrieks Fraux. "It will take about fifteen minutes for her to finish off the beanstalk. If we stick to the plan, we should insert the laxotium into Dathan's body! Revive him and he'll distract Eden! If he's dead for too long, we won't be able to bring him back!"._

_Cassie taps on holographic buttons and a floating image of Dathan appears above her work surface. The picture zooms into Dathan's arm and shows the tracker inside. "Are you sure?", she asks. "We had agreed to revive the third placed tribute to cause some mayhem. Yes! Do it!", replies Fraux. Cassie obediently taps on another button, releasing Snow's sacred laxotium drug into Dathan's body. _

_"Fraux, may I ask you a question?", asks Cassie. "Proceed," he says. "If we can revive Dathan with the laxotium, why can't the doctors above us do the same with Snow?". The room would have been dead silent if it weren't for the other Gamemakers tapping away with their fingers. "Cassie...", begins Fraux, puffing out his lips. "You need to come with me."_

_Just as Dathan is about to open his eyes back up, and while Eden continues to hack away at the stalk, Fraux spits out his coffee in horror when he's alerted by another Gamemaker that Cassie has been found with a knife in her head._

* * *

**OH MY GOD. What did you think of that chapter? A lot of things happened! Dathan died, Dathan is about to be revived, Eden cried while Dathan died. Dathan. DATHAN. DATHAN DATHAN DATHAN. Ole began to climb the beanstalk while Eden was down below, cutting it down! What's going to happen next?! Read the next chapter tomorrow to find out!**

**Also, remember when I said in the last chapter that whoever votes for the dead tribute, all them votes will be worthless? It was all a lie... Haha! It was all a ploy to get you shocked when you found out that Dathan is coming back! Speaking of votes, I'm opening up another poll for you all to vote in!**

**Remember, if you have time, please leave a review! I love hearing what you think of my story! As usual, thank you all so much for reading! Thank you, byeee :)**


	29. The Victor

_"We're coming close to the end," whispers Snow from the bed, staring up at the screen. "We sure are. Who do you want to win?", asks Fraux, sitting at the end of the bed. "Ole," replies Snow. "But that doesn't matter." He's clearly improving since he's been hooked up to the laxotium. He seems more bright and talkative. "What matters is that I'm getting better. Your role as the president is being tossed aside for now."_

_Fraux begins to rise from the bed slowly. "That's a shame," he says bitterly, walking towards the door. "I better get down to the Control Room. The victor is likely to be crowned any moment now."_

_"Goodbye," says Snow quietly. "Oh, I almost forgot," says Fraux, approaching the drip that Snow is attached to. "No, it's goodbye to you." He untwists the crank around the tube up Snow's nose, stopping any more of the laxotium from entering his body. "What are you doing?", groans Snow. "You've already spoken to the other officials about me being president. Looks like you won't be able to tell them that your mind has been changed," chuckles Fraux. Snow lets out a gasp and clutches his neck. "There's no strings on me," says Fraux, flicking his cape and continuing to walk towards the exit._

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

I fling open my eyes and I feel dust floating around in my throat. I lean forward and I cough hardly. Pulling the backpack off of my back and unzipping it, I immediately drink some water. I swirl some in my mouth and spit out the black liquid. What happened? All I remember is feeling like I'm being stung and I was suddenly plunged into darkness. It doesn't matter. All that matters is what happens now.

I twist my head around and I see no one. Eden, Ole and the witch are all gone. I pick up the arrow that fell from my stomach to my knees and I look at it carefully. It's Eden's. Where is she? Is she dead? Anything could have happened while I was knocked out. I told her to go to the beanstalk, but she might not be there now. Maybe she forgot. Maybe she was chased somewhere else. Or as I said before, maybe she's dead.

I pick up my axe and I rise to my feet, feeling nauseous and dizzy. My feet stumble and I bang into a tree. I hold onto the bark firmly, trying to wait for my head to stop spinning. My surroundings begin to come more stable until everything is completely still. I look up at the trees and I see the green stalk in between the branches overhead. There's a good chance that she's not at the stalk, but there's still a chance that she is. It's worth a shot.

I stagger through the forest and I'm back out into the massive field again. The grass looks even more greener since the last time I was here. Maybe I'm seeing things. At the base of the stalk, I see someone moving around. Her black ponytail begins to flow in the wind and I know exactly who it is. "Eden!", I manage to scream at the top of my voice, sounding a bit croaky. Her head turns in my direction and she stares at me in silence for a moment. "Dathan!".

My legs feel weak and unbalanced, but I run across the grass through the sharp wind until I reach her. "Eden-", I pant. We both drop our axes to the ground and we huge each other. "You're- you should be dead," she whispers. "I heard your cannon go off." That's odd. I wasn't dead though.

"Maybe it was for Ole," I say. We stop hugging and she looks at me worried. "It wasn't Ole's. Look". She points up to the middle of the beanstalk and I see him slowly rising upwards. Then I remember my plan. "Chop-". "Hush!", orders Eden. "I already knew that you wanted to do that, so I decided to take thoughts into actions."

We pick up our axes and walk over to the stalk, firstly noticing a big dent in the base. "If we get a bit more done, we'll be able to bring down the stalk," she explains. "Let's get started."

We furiously hack away at it, but I soon notice that it's extremely strong. It's not going to come down without a huge effort. "Just think of Ole betraying you," I say, green chunks flying over my shoulder from chopping away at the stalk. I don't need to look at Eden to know that I've ticked her off. I hear her axe digging into the stalk with a louder snapping sound.

Then I begin to remember something important; once the stalk has fallen, Ole will be dead. It will only be us two left. One will live while the other will die. Who will be the one to die? Who will be the victor? Who will strike first? I don't even want to think about it.

"Stop!", yells Eden after the stalk begins to wobble. "Push on three," she says, a trail of sweat running down her forehead. "One," I begin slowly, grabbing onto the stalk. "Two," says Eden, also grabbing onto the stalk and looking into my eyes. Within a few seconds, Ole will be dead, leaving both of us left. Everything I've gone through has been just leading up to this. This is it.

"Three," we both say together. We both lean forward and shove the stalk, making sounds of cracking and snapping. We both take our hands off of it and we walk backwards, watching as it comes falling down. But at the corner of my eye, I notice something odd. A small wave ripples through the air and I gasp. This cannot be happening. The force field.

I stare at the stalk as it causes a chain of sparks in the air as it slams down onto the barrier. The invisible dome containing us all starts to wobble and know it's almost impossible to miss. Ole must be hanging on for dear life.

The stalk is too powerful for the force field and it begins to draw down the barrier, forming a long hole only to be patched back up a couple of seconds later. But then, the stalk begins to slow down until it completely stops. The sparks triple and fire begins to form at the tip of the stalk. The force field is indestructible. "Run," says Eden with a lump at the back of her throat. Instead, I stand there in shock and stare at the damage being caused.

A huge explosion of orange sparks and fire is set off on the force field, and the stalk is blown back a small bit. The stalk is just way too heavy. It falls back into the force field slowly, and with a loud bang, a bigger explosion is set off and a wave of sparks rushes around the entire dome. The entire force field, even the parts off in the distance, explodes and shatters with electricity orbs, sending the stalk towards us.

I'm tossed backwards to the ground, and I land with a thud. I see the stalk fly over my head and I look up at the raining debris. I hear a cannon blast and I'm suddenly in total darkness.

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

My eyes slowly peer open and the brightness shines through, but my eyelids seal back up again. This happens on and off constantly, but I have at least two seconds of sight to see doctors and nurses hovering above me. A gasp leaves my mouth and I hear the panic among the doctors increase. My eyes open once again and I try to sit up, only to feel a sharp pain all through my body. I can't take it. My eyes shut again and I'm in the dark.

I slowly open my eyes again, but I'm in a different setting. I'm lying in a bed in a small grey room. I roll my eyes to the right to see another bed beside me. "Eden!", I hear a stressed voice say. It's a man's voice. So familiar. I know who it is. "Finnick," I groan. "The doctors told me to give you water," he says, shoving the crystal glass in my face. I take the cup from his hands and I sip on it slowly. So refreshing. I instantly feel like I'm being cleansed of all the evil inside of me. "What-", I choke out. "What happened? Where am I? Am I the victor? Tell me, Finnick!".

Finnick tilts his head towards the ground. "Find out on the television." He picks up a remote from the desk beside me and turns on the television. He presses the "recordings" button on the remote and he plays a show called "The One-Hundredth Hunger Games."

He immediately skips through sixty seven hours of footage, letting me know how long I've been in there for. Sixty seven hours seems a bit crazy. It's been night for almost the whole entire time. The screen shows Dathan and I chopping away at the stalk, just before it cuts to Ole who's grabbing onto it cautiously. He knew that something was about to happen. He must of felt the vibrations.

Then I hear Dathan and I beginning to count down to three. After that, everything goes crazy. I watch as the stalk crashes through the force field, eventually leading to the explosion. The camera cuts just as Dathan and I are sent flying into the ground by the blow. "Why?", says Finnick sternly, powering off the television with the remote.

"To kill Ole," I croak. "That better be the only reason," he continues, placing his hand on the silk bed sheets. "You weren't doing it as an act of rebellion? We're you trying to escape the arena?". I'm shocked at how Finnick is saying this. His tone when he asks me these daunting questions. It's almost like he thinks I _wanted _to bring down the force field. "No!", I yell. "I'm not stupid enough to do that!". He leans back, clearly frightened. "Stop screaming," he whispers. "Someone might hear you."

"And why would that matter?", I ask. He pauses and looks unsettled. "Spit it out," I demand. "Fraux isn't very happy," says Finnick. "He's only the head Gamemaker," I bite at him, "Who cares about him?".

"Look Eden, you were in the arena for days and you were unconscious after the explosion yesterday. A lot could have changed since then," says Finnick. Something has happened. I can feel it. Finnick seems bothered about something. I just can't lay my finger on it. "What has happened?", I ask quietly. It takes him a couple of seconds to tell me the answer. "Fraux has become the president of Panem."

What? How? He's only the head Gamemaker! Out of all the people in Panem, why him? But what about Snow? "What happened to Snow?", I ask. It takes him even longer than a couple of seconds to reply to this question. But he finally whispers the answer. "Snow is dead."

* * *

**So, WE'RE OUT OF THE ARENA! What did you all think of this chapter? This was crazy! The beanstalk was chopped down and ended up breaking the force field! Ole is now dead! Dathan is- wait! What about Dathan?! Where is he? Did he die?! Find out in the next chapter... Hehe. And what did you think about Fraux becoming the new president of Panem? His true motives are being slowly revealed... Why did he kill Snow? Find out soon..**

**If you have time, please leave a review! It's always appreciated when you do :)**

**Also, I've created a new poll! You can- WAIT! There are no more polls to vote in! The Games are now over. And no; this is not the final chapter! That would be a terrible ending with so many unanswered questions. What do you think is going to happen next? Remember what Finnick said: "Fraux isn't very happy." What's going to happen? OMG IT'S SO INTENSE!**

**Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one! Thank you so much for reading, byeeeee :)**


	30. The Problem

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

I open my eyes and I stare down. Two doctors are rolling a trolley that I'm laid on, and they seem to be rushing. A stabbing pain shoots across my chest and I let out a groan. We enter an elevator, walk down another hallway and we eventually stop once we reach a closed door. One of the doctors pushes it open and I'm rolled into the small room. I see Eden and Finnick staring at me and I'm suddenly lifted off the trolley and into the bed. They pull the bed sheets over me and they quickly leave.

"What's happening?", I ask worried, pulling the bed sheets down. "What's with the white clothes?", I ask, looking down at my t-shirt and pants. "Don't worry," says Finnick walking towards me. "I've explained everything to Eden. Once you know it all, you'll be a bit more calm.

"Just tell me where I am!", I demand. Finnick slides onto the end of the bed and Eden sits on the edge of hers. "You two broke the force field. That beanstalk crashed through it," he says. "And?", I say. "You were both taken out immediately and-"

I let out a scream of pain as my chest begins to burn. Finnick quickly presses a red button on the wall and a doctor comes sprinting in. I'm pushed onto my back and I catch a glimpse of the name tag on his jacket. It reads: "_Mr. Koakent". _Before I get the chance to scream again, the needle enters my arm and my eyes shut.

After what feels like seconds, I shoot my eyes open but the doctor is gone. Both Eden and Finnick are at the end of my bed, staring at me quietly. "What-", I begin. "Mr. Koakent said that you had severe injuries on your chest," bursts out Finnick. Immediately, not following Finnick's orders, I look down my shirt to see nothing but deep wounds and a lot of redness. Horrified, I look back up. The redness is either burns or blood. Maybe both.

"As I was saying, you were both immediately taken out after the force field was destroyed," says Finnick. "Ole got killed, Eden got out a bit lucky. But for you," he continues, "obviously you got a bit hurt."

"A bit?", I growl. "I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to listen," urges Finnick. "I have vaguely touched on this with you, Eden," he says looking at her. "I thought that it might be best to explain it when Dathan arrived." He slowly walks over to Eden's bed and sits down, eyeing us both. "As I told you, Eden, president Snow has passed away."

"What?", I spit out. "Let me explain!", roars Finnick. "Fraux, the head Gamemaker, is now the president as a request from Snow just before he died. But he isn't happy with you two."

"Why?", I ask in a quiet tone. "He thinks that you two were trying to escape. Eden already told me that that wasn't the case at all.. But this is when you need to start paying attention," he says. Then he looks at Eden. "Here's something new for both of you: there's been a riot in District 4."

"District 4?!", screams Eden. Why in District 4? Why at all? What happened to cause the riots? "You see.. The whole nation of Panem are thinking that you tried to escape. The Capitol are furious about this, but District 4 have taken this as an opportunity to rebel. You need to convince everyone that it was all a plan to kill Ole. If they keep thinking what they're thinking now, who knows what could happen?"

I can't process this all at once. District 4 are rebelling because of Eden and I? But we didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't want this at all! We just wanted Ole to die!

"I'll discuss this with you later. The highlight reels are tonight. Prompa is in the Tribute Center preparing the outfits, so we're going to be leaving straight after we get you guys one last medical check," says Finnick. "Let's go."

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

I feel a vibration run through my seat and the ramp falls down. Finnick escorts us out of the hovercraft and onto the roof of the Training Center. Finally, I can breathe in fresh air. I look out at the Capitol and I see thousands of citizens, rushing around every street corner. Crazy wigs and colorful clothes; no one looks normal. "Eden! Dathan!", I hear a woman scream. I turn around to see Flinka sprinting at us both. She's replaced her wigs with her short hair that seems to have been dyed from grey to blue. Flinka, Finnick, Dathan and I all create a group hug.

"Well done for your... victory," she says as we follow her down the spiral staircase. Yes. A victory. Through the tone of her voice, I know that she's anxious about us after we blew up the force field. I can't go on living like this. Is every single person I talk to going to act weird? Maybe I shouldn't be so shocked. If I was in her position, I'd be fearing for my life. Anybody who's involved with me should be fearful.

We walk through a series of hallways and doorways until we reach a large room. I hear a man squealing, and I'm suddenly being trapped by Prompa's arms. "Well done for winning!", he whispers into my ear before giving me a kiss on the cheek. I'm finally able to catch my breath when he lets go of me to give Dathan a hug.

He shows us the clothes that he has planned: a simple green dress with ripples going around the edge and a green suit for Dathan. I try not to tell him my true feelings for the clothes, but just from Dathan's facial expressions, I can see that he thinks they're quite bland. "It's beautiful," I exclaim.

After getting into the clothes, my hair is being done up into a bun by Prompa while Dathan is getting changed in another room. "After this, we need to start the makeup!", he says, showing me the shiny ring. "That looks pretty hard. Why can't you use a regular band for my hair?", I ask. "Well...", he says. He starts to put my hair up in a bun and he takes a long time to reply. But he never does reply. "Makeup!".

I stare at myself in the mirror after being in the makeup seat for two hours. I'm actually rather shocked at how little is on my face. "Is that it?", I ask. "Yes!", squeals Prompa. This is insane. There's barely anything on me! A plain dress and bland makeup? I'm going to look disgusting!

After waiting around for a couple of hours, it's time for the show to begin. "Ladies and gentlemen," I hear booming out on the stage above me. "Please put your hands together for Swallow Sheek!". Swallow Sheek? But where's Caesar? Then I remember to the night of the interviews..

"Smile for the cameras," says Finnick, "and remember this; in an unlikely case that she asks you any questions, it was all to kill Ole." Who's _she? _I wink at Dathan and he winks back. The metallic plate begins to rise from beneath our feet, and I immediately start getting flashbacks to the beginning of the Games. It's practically the same. In an empty room being given advice from Finnick, then I'm being raise up on a slab of metal to the unknown. All but one exception: there's no glass tube around me.

Within seconds, I'm on the stage being cheered at by extravagant audience members. Every single one of them is dressed uniquely and crazily. I glance to my left to expect to see Dathan, but instead the sight of him is being blocked by a tall woman. It must be Swallow. Dressed in a thin, white, flowery dress, she holds up the microphone in her hands and speaks into it. "Here are your victors of the one-hundredth Hunger Games- Eden O'Shea and Dathan Lynn!".

After shaking hands with Swallow, she lovingly escorts us to a long red seat. Dathan and I sit down onto the soft fabric and she sits down on a single seat in front of us. "It's about time to watch the edited version of the Games- only featuring all the most exciting parts!", she exclaims. "Hold on tight! Let the three hour show begin!". The big screen behind us featuring the Capitol logo now shows the one-hundredth Hunger Games' logo; a silhouette of a man with strings attached to his body and "100TH" in big lettering above. The logo fades away, revealing the Cornucopia.

The first five minutes is all about the bloodbath. It's almost more sickening to watch it then to experience it. Why? Because things like these shouldn't be allowed to be shown to the public. Also, every death is full of closeups. Sarah is the first person to be killed. When a thorn impales her back and shoots through her stomach, it's shown too closely. Every little detail is shown; the tip of the sharp blade bulging out through her jacket and then ripping straight through, the small drops of blood that spray and the bits of flesh that ooze out. To make matters worse, on the side of the screen a box pops up showing both Dathan and I's faces. I try to smile and act pleased as the gore is shown on the screen, but I just feel terrible on the inside. I shouldn't have to do this. Not at all! But to influence the people of Panem and President Fraux, I've no choice.

* * *

**Ahhh! So what did you all think of this chapter? It's definitely not action packed, but it's got a lot of plot! So yes... This chapter officially confirmed that Ole came second while both Dathan and Eden won the Games!**

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please drop a review! I always love reading your thoughts. And I know that you all have many questions. You often leave them in reviews or PM them to me. But trust me when I tell you this; all of your questions will be answered. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? CAN YOU DO THIS? ARE YOU DOING AN SYOT SEQUEL? WHAT? WHO? WHY? BLAH!**

**Thank you all so much for reading this story, but it's not over just yet! How many more chapters are left? You won't find out until the final one :) Thank you so much, byeeee :)**


	31. The Silence

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

Straight after the highlight show when I'm backstage, Eden and I are whisked away by Finnick. We walk through empty hallways until we are in the main lobby in the Tribute Center. Paparazzi snap pictures of us, half-blinding me with the flashing lights. "Dathan! What we're your thoughts when you were chopping down the stalk?", I hear a woman scream at me. The interviewers push their way up to the front of the barriers and hold their mics out over the railing. Eden is about to walk over to greet the cheering crowds, but Finnick grabs onto her arm. He then grabs mine and proceeds to pull us into the nearest elevator.

"They're not here to see the victors of the Hunger Games; they're here to see the tributes who blew up the force field. The tributes who broke the rules and influenced the riots in Four," says Finnick after the doors shut. "But we didn't mean to cause any of it!", I say. "I know, but they think that you both were planning to escape. They've got video evidence." Video evidence? No they don't! "What are you talking about?", asks Eden as the elevator begins to rise. "When Dathan said 'We need to get to that beanstalk ', every discussion in the Capitol was about you," says Finnick. He looks at me cautiously. "When the force field was shattered, everyone thought it was your idea. But they weren't upset about it. They were happy."

I never wanted any of this to happen. This was all just to kill Ole, not to cause major riots. Who knows what my actions could lead to? "It inspired Four to rebel. But as I said before, Fraux is angry," continues Finnick. "But he's not just angry at both of you for 'purposely' destroying the force field. He's also angry that two tributes have won." The elevator zips past the District 1, 2 and 3 tributes' levels until it reaches ours. "You've both been out of the arena for nearly twenty-four hours and he hasn't made any public appearances or statements yet. He's definitely up to something."

The glass doors slide open and we step out into the long hallway. Finnick's hand print is instantly recognized when he wraps his hand around the doorknob, unlocking the door from us. The second we step inside our apartment, I begin to feel an eerie presence. Something is different, but I just can't my finger on it. There's the flat screen embedded in the wall, the slick glass coffee tables, the green fluffy sofas, the long dinner table fit with the wooden chairs and the four doors leading to the four bedrooms. It's all the same. But I'm certain that something's different. The room is ice cold and a shiver shoots up my spine.

"I never put that chair there," says Finnick, looking at the chair leaning up against the shelf. "And I bet that Flinka didn't either," Eden adds. That's when I know that we're all thinking the same thing; someone was in here while we we're at the show. Without splitting up, we creep into each of our rooms to investigate. Firstly, we check Flinka's room and Finnick's room. Finnick claims that nothing's different in his, but he's not sure about Flinka's considering he's barely been in there. But when we check my room next, we're all shocked when we see what's happened.

The wallpaper is ripped and clawed, the bed sheets are thrown on the ground and the ceiling fan is left hanging by a few wires. After a full minute of silence, I eventually make the first move. "What happened here?", I ask. Finnick just shakes his head. I rush into Eden's room and they both follow after me. Everything's the same as my room; it's destroyed.

"Fraux must have sent Peacekeepers up here to taunt us," says Finnick. "What are we going to do?", asks Eden. "I don't.. I don't know," Finnick chokes. What _are _we going to do? The Capitol are finally breaking the silence on what they feel about our escape. This is a warning.

* * *

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

"And here is your outfit!", pipes Prompa. He removes his hands from over my eyes and I lay my sight on the dress. It's the exact same as last night's. "But I had just worn this yesterday," I moan. I don't care anymore. This is ridiculous. Looks like I've gotten a lazy stylist. "So? Your point is?", he bites at me. Trying to cool the tension in the room, I simply say "Forget it".

I get into the dress and he puts my hair back up into a bun with the metal ring. "I wish you good luck!", he squeals. My makeup is applied lightly and I check myself out in the mirror. He pulls the door open and shoves me out into the hallway, him slamming it shut behind me. _He's so strange, _I think to myself. The quietness of the empty hallway is ruined when I hear Finnick's loud voice. "The show's starting in three minutes! Let's go!", he says.

Once again, just like last night, I stand on a metallic plate beside Dathan who's doing the same. "Both of you need to convince the audience that you didn't mean to break the force field," says Finnick. "If you don't, nothing will be resolved. District 4 won't be the only District to have riots. You need to change their minds."

I hear Swallow Sheek making her introduction to the stage, the audience cheering loudly. After a minute of cracking jokes and talking, she introduces both Dathan and I. The plate begins to rise and I'm suddenly up on the stage. The audience looks just as bizarre as ever and they're going wild for us. Just like yesterday, Swallow shakes our hands and invites us over to the seats. We sit down and the cheering starts to settle. I stare into the front row and I see Finnick walking towards an empty chair beside Prompa who's smirking.

"So, Dathan and Eden- I need to begin with a very important question that's all on our minds," says Swallow. "What were you both thinking when you were chopping down the beanstalk?". I see Finnick sitting in his seat now. He winks at me and nods his head. Dathan nudges me and I know that he wants me to speak. "I was thinking about how Ole's cannon was going to blast off. Then it would have been just us two left."

"Is that it?", asks Swallow. I nod my head. "Two words: force field," she says. "What about that?". I swallow the lump in my throat and I try to think of an answer. "We never knew that it was so close to us," I spit out. "If you did know that it was right beside the beanstalk, would you have chopped it down?", she asks. I nudge Dathan back. It's about time that he starts talking.

"Definitely not," he says, "We would have chased Ole up the beanstalk." Swallow leans forward and crosses her eyebrows. "Then why didn't you both just go up after him immediately?", she asks. "Why did you feel that you needed to chop down the beanstalk?". Dathan instantly comes to the answer. "There was no other way to kill him. If we climbed up the stalk, he would have been above us! He would have had the upper hand."

"I guess I can see where you are coming from," says Swallow, leaning back into the seat. Last night, she seemed so nice. But tonight, she seems fierce. Almost seems annoyed at us. She clearly must think that we're horrible little rebels. "Anyway, onto a more lightened subject," she says. "You're clothes! Please stand up and show the audience how beautiful you both look."

Dathan and I both awkwardly rise from our seats to a few claps. The audience obviously aren't impressed with us. What victors reuse their clothes for the interviews? I stare at Prompa who glares back at me. _Embarrassing me with pathetic clothes in front of millions, _I think. _That little-_

I see him hit a button on his watch and I feel something strange. A small line of fire grows on the bottom of my dress and makes it way upwards. That's when I notice that it's burning away the green fabric, revealing a shiny black dress. The fire stops at my chest and I'm now dressed fully black. I feel warmth on my scalp and my straight hair falls on my shoulders. But it's not straight anymore; it's wavy. Pieces of metal collapse to the ground and I see that they're parts of the metal ring used to hold up my hair.

When did Prompa design this? _How _did he do this? How did he make my hair wavy? The questions flow through my brain but I stop to turn to Dathan. His green suit has now turned into a shiny black pair of pants and a top with no sleeves. "What the funk!", squeals Swallow, jumping up out of her seat. What the funk indeed. Prompa obviously wanted to shock everyone, and he must have considering the cheers coming from the audience. But this is not good at all. We look angry. Confident. Risky. And the most dangerous of all; we look rebellious.

* * *

**It's getting more and more intense... What is going to happen next? Read the next chapter to find out! :)**

**Also, please vote in my new poll on my profile! I'm going to be doing a Super Smash Bros. story soon, and I want to know what characters you would most want to be in it!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and whether you did or didn't, please drop a review! Thank you all so much for reading, byeeeee :)**


	32. The Assassination

**Eden O'Shea/D4F/17:**

"Why didn't you tell us?!", screams Dathan. Prompa flutters his long eyelashes and we shove him into the corner of the room. "If you were surprised, it would have been more of a special moment," he says. "The ferocious fire and the coal black clothes; Eden and Dathan looked rebellious!", shouts Finnick. "Well, at least they showed how they hate the Capitol," says Prompa. Finnick huffs, "But expressing your hatred to the people who have power is risky! Fraux could order them both to be executed! Remember what happened with Katniss Everdeen, the girl from Twelve in the seventy-forth Games? She started a war that no one could forget. Destruction was around every corner and people were dying every second. We can't be the ones to blame if another war happens!". The discussion settles down after around ten minutes of screaming and shouting, and Finnick escorts us up to our apartment.

We walk in to see Flinka laid back on the couch, gulping down a bottle of wine. "I've no makeup on! Don't look at me!", she squeals, jumping up and covering her face. She scurries into her room and slams the door shut behind her. "We're better off discussing this without her," says Finnick. "Prompa has only added more fuel to the burning flames," he continues. "How should we extinguish that fire?", I ask. He rolls his fingers through his golden hair and tuts. "You need to become Capitol darlings. Convince the nation that the Hunger Games are good."

If we want to get back to our regular lives, we need to listen to Finnick. Becoming a lover of the Capitol is going to change a lot. Either everyone will believe us or everyone will know it's an act. But even if they do believe us, will it only make things worse? People could get raged that the Capitol have won us over. I can at least tell you this; whatever happens after this, things will never be the same again.

"Look," whispers Dathan, pointing behind me. Both Finnick and I turn just in time to see dark shadow and a slip of paper slide underneath the door. The shadow disappears and we know whoever was there is gone. Finnick picks up the paper and opens it up, reading the message aloud. "To Eden O'Shea and Dathan Lynn, victors of the one-hundredth Hunger Games," he begins. "Tomorrow night at eight o'clock, you have both been invited to a celebratory dinner at my mansion. Your mentor and your stylists are invited to come also. Yours sincerely, President Fraux."

The room falls silent for a moment until Finnick begins to speak again. "I recommend that you both go," says Finnick. "What? Why? It's definitely a trap! We broke the force field and an invite to dinner is Fraux's response? He's trying to lure us in! Besides, we're going back home to Four tomorrow night", I reply. "There's certainly going to be paparazzi outside. It's a perfect way to show that your on his side. Also, the train isn't until nine-thirty. Both of you are going!", he shouts. It's a risky move to go, but I can tell by the tone in his voice that Finnick knows what he's talking about. He only wants the best for us.

Finnick calls Prompa on the phone and tells him to get clothes prepared for tomorrow night. Not cleaning back up the destroyed rooms, Dathan and I both sleep in among the wreckage. I close my eyes, and when I open them back up seconds later, the sunlight faintly shines through the curtains. I drop out of the bed and I pull them back, letting the brightness light up the room. I stare out the window at the towering skyscrapers, then down at the wild people covering the streets. I wonder what they're all thinking. Maybe about getting their nostrils widened, or maybe about buying the new fang shoes that are now available in all shoe shops. But I can guarantee that some of them are thinking about Dathan and I, and our next public appearance.

After having a light breakfast of buttered toast, Finnick and Flinka bring us down to the dressing rooms to meet up with Prompa. He gives Dathan his clothes and tells him to go get changed, then he gives me mine. Stepping out from behind the curtains, Flinka squeals with joy and I look at myself in the mirror. A puffy pink skirt, tall black high heels and a golden tank top. "It's beautiful," I say, but this time I'm not lying. "I've gone for a cooler and younger style!", pipes Prompa. My makeup is applied and I put on the lipstick by myself. "Perfect!", shrieks Flinka.

By seven-thirty, we're all dressed up fancy. The Tribute Center lobby is completely empty, not even a receptionist at the front desk. A black limousine pulls up outside and a man wearing a black suit steps out. "Eden and Dathan?", he says, walking in the entrance and looking at us. "Yes, these are the victors," says Finnick. All five of us pile into the long car and we sit back on the fine leather seats. Flinka discovers a rack of wine at the end of the car and starts drinking them straight from the bottle. "Remember," says Finnick. "You're on his side." He doesn't mention who he's talking about, but I think I know who it is.

After around twenty five minutes of being stuck in traffic, the limousine pulls up to the gates of the mansion. We step out into the coldness and it drives off immediately. I'm blinded by the flashing lights, but when my eyes start to focus, I see barriers containing crowds of Capitol civilians. Peacekeepers are lined up all around and I know that it's time to impress. Just as Finnick told me to, I walk up to the railing and the screams get louder. "Please sign my arm Eden! I love you!", screams a young woman wearing piles of makeup and an extremely long blue wig. It's almost too long and It seems to be covering most of her face. I take her pen and she holds out her arm, and when I finish writing my name, I see the words "Ethan against the Capitol" written on her skin. Who's Ethan? And why does she hate the Capitol? Almost everyone in the Capitol loves their rulers, but I guess that this one is just one in a million.

"Press the buzzer," says Prompa. Finnick steps forward and hits the button on the wall. "Hello?", a voice says. "Hello. It's Finnick Odair. I'm here with Eden O'Shea and-"

The gates start to open and we step into the beautiful garden. Hedge statues scattered around here and there, white roses all over the grass and shining lights shooting out from the bushes; this place is magnificent. But it's not the roses that reek of blood that horrifies me, nor the fact that I'm about to meet a man who must be trying to kill me. What horrifies me is the fact that this beautiful sight proves that pure evil can be covered up by a pretty image.

* * *

**Dathan Lynn/D4M/17:**

The butler escorts all of us through the hallway filled with vases and expensive china, into the dining room to be greeted by various flamboyant guests. I've no idea who they are, but I'm guessing that some are Gamemakers and some are government officials. "Congratulations," an old man whispers to me, shaking my hand slowly. Only a few are smiling and being polite to us, but the others are staring us down expressionlessly.

At the end of the long table is a seat that is much more bigger and grander, only fit for a king. Knowing who's going to be sitting in that seat, I pull everyone over to the opposite end. Everyone places their wine glasses on the table and begin to sit down. Men and women begin to pile into the room with trays, placing them on the table and pulling off the lids, revealing a fantastic array of exquisite food. Feeling uncomfortable among the chatting people, I'm nudged by Finnick who's scooping mashed potato onto his plate from a nearby pot.

"Not hungry?", he says. "Not really," I reply. Eden, who's sitting to my left, seems to be the same. Not budging a bit to take some food, she just stares at the various paintings on the walls. "You better start getting chatty. You know he's going to be arriving soon," whispers Finnick into my ear. He's right. Fraux is going to come storming into this room any moment now. I better do something. "May you please pass the salt, sir," I say to a middle-aged man speaking with a woman. "Why, yes! The name is Provanto," he pipes, handing the salt cellar to me. "And mine is Dathan," I say to him. "Fantastic!", he says, pulling on his pointed grey beard. "I hope you enjoy the evening. You've earned it." Without thinking properly about what to say, I instantly blurt out a bitter and stupid reply. "Yes, by killing people."

Provanto doesn't answer by. Instead, he pauses and looks at me dead in the eyes, his smile fading away. "As I said, I hope you enjoy the evening," he repeats, this time more quietly and sternly. "You've earned it." _What have I done?,_ I think to myself. This is going to be hard to be something that I'm not. Now that's one more person in this room that dislikes me. And I'm certain that I've made him think bad thoughts about Eden too. I can already predict that he's going to tell everyone that the two victors are nasty rebels and they're both impolite.

I hear loud footsteps hitting against the floorboards and I see a darkened figure walk into the room. Death black hair, marshmallow sized lips, jagged razor eyebrows, sharply pointed eyelashes, evil green eyes and an abnormally thin pencil body; it's President Fraux Hellex. He flicks his black cape that completely covers his body and rests down onto the large throne.

The entire room hasn't noticed him yet, so he snatches a woman's glass near him and taps a fork against it. The chilling sound shocks everyone, and when they turn around to see him, they all fall silent. "We have all gathered here tonight to celebrate the victory of the two tributes from District 4 in the one-hundredth Hunger Games- Eden O'Shea and Dathan Lynn", says Fraux. Everyone drops their cutlery and silently claps. "This year's Games, the forth Quarter Quell, were quite a success." Indeed. They were quite a success in ending teenagers lives and making people rebel against you. There's no need for him to lie.

"As this was a Quarter Quell, we introduced a new twist; all tributes were to be handcuffed with their District partner as they entered the arena," he continues. "As you can see, the victors of the Games were both District partners. The twist was enjoyed immensely by the nation of Panem and it was quite enjoyable to watch. This proves that the Capitol are great introducing new plans and ideas. We wish to make more of our thoughts into actions in the future." Whatever he means, it can't be good. Considering the Hunger Games was one of their 'great plans', the future is not looking bright.

"Thank you all very much for gathering here tonight. I hope you enjoy the dinner and the firework display later on," says Fraux. He bows, everyone starts clapping, and he sits back down on his throne. The chatting starts up again and everyone begins to laugh and eat food. All except for Eden and I. Fraux glares at us both from the top of the table with absolutely no facial expressions. The moment is sinister, and I jump out of my skin when a waitress places a drink down in front of me. "The victors' drinks," she says, placing one down in front of Eden also. "I hope you both enjoy your Nightlock Kisses."

She vanishes through the doorway and I pick up the glass, examining the thick purple liquid and the lemon wedge stuck on the rim. It's almost like a smoothie. Upon further inspection after sniffing it, the drink smells like rotten blueberries. I glance down the table at Fraux who sips on his wine, continuing to stare at us. It's almost like he never looked away, even while the waitress gave us the drinks. His eyes are locked onto us..

"Don't drink it," I whisper to Eden who holds the glass up to her lips. "Why not?", she whispers back. I hold my hand up to my mouth so no one can see my lips moving. "Fraux keeps looking at us," I whisper. "I think there's something off with the drinks." Eden quickly exchanges a look with the President. "You're right," she whispers.

We both slam the drinks down on the table and Fraux leans forward. "Finnick," I say, tapping on his shoulder. He's about to say "What?", but he sees the glass and immediately asks me "Where did you get that?". "A waitress gave them both to us," I say. "She said that they we're called Nightlock Kisses." Finnick's face becomes frightened and he swipes up the two glasses, placing them out of our reach. "Nightlock Kisses?", he says. "Do you know what Nightlock is?". Eden and I both shake our heads. "They're the berries that Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark used to kill themselves. The drinks are poisoned."

After nervously trying to discuss different topics with the guests, we're all marched out to the back garden where the firework display is being held. President Fraux looms over his balcony and continues to stare at Eden and I, sipping on his blood red wine. When the dinner is over, a limousine is already waiting outside. The screaming civilians and the paparazzi are still here, but we've no time to waste. "Take us to the train station", Finnick says to the driver, looking at his watch that says it's eight-fifty.

We all argue with Finnick that we have to go back to the Tribute Center to get changed back into our regular clothes, but he fights back against us and says that we'll be late and that there's going to be "clothes on the train". I doubt it. It's not until we get onto the train and check out our rooms that Finnick, Eden and I begin to discuss the drinks.

"Fraux had those drinks poisoned," says Finnick, dropping back onto the sofa in the dining area. "What are we going to do?", asks Eden. "You can't do anything. You've got no public appearances until the Victory Tour. The chances of relaxing and changing the minds of the Districts are over", he says. I swirl my glass around and I watch as the clear water turns purple. I gasp and my mind goes blank. I look up to see the guests chatting and eating the food, but Fraux is still staring at me like a cautious fox. He raises a bow from underneath the table and lets his arrow fly. It shoots down the table towards me, and I try to scramble. But it's no use. The duct tape over my mouth is too strong and I can't cry for help. I try to jump out of the chair, but once again, the duct tape wrapped around me is too strong. I feel the tip of the arrow pierce the skin on my forehead, but then my head is knocked back. I feel the blood trickling downwards and Eden is suddenly in my face.

"What's wrong?!", she screams. Finnick is hovering above me and the look on his face is frightened. They bring me to my room and try to settle me down for a while. But every time I'm about to fall asleep on the soft pillows, I'm back in the Games. When I'm raised into the arena by the metal plate, the gong sounds and I'm immediately tackled by Fraux. Each time I die, it's more disturbing. First it was the arrow, next he slowly slits my throat. But then he starts to pour the Nightlock Kisses drink into my mouth, letting my throat cave in and bubble up. But worst of all, his face begins to transform into Araxie's. After the hours of screaming and being held down onto the bed by Finnick, he orders Eden out of the room and she comes back with a man who stabs a syringe into my shoulder.

When my eyes open back up, Eden is sitting on my bedside with dark circles under her eyes. "Good morning," she sweetly says. But I know she's depressed. "Did I keep you up all night?", I ask. She nods, turns her head in the other way and wipes the tears away from her eyes. "We're almost home," she says. I get changed into the clothes that are hidden in the drawers and I leave my room to go to the dining hall. "Hope you had a good sleep," says Flinka. It's strange seeing her so quiet. "Me too," adds Prompa. "Finnick told us what happened last night."

"_What _happened last night?", I ask. "You don't remember?", says Finnick. "Well, I do. But I just can't piece everything together," I say. "Piece what together?", asks Eden. "When Fraux shot me with an arrow at the dinner. And when Araxie tried to kill me. And when I was back in the arena. And-"

"You've been ruined by this experience," says Finnick. "What do you mean?", I ask. "Let's forget about it. We'll be arriving in Four in around half an hour." I scoop up a handful of berries, but I instantly start thinking about last night so I pour them back in the bowl. Instead, I go for chocolate pancakes. Much better. Prompa hands me over a designer shirt and a pair of beige pants for when we get off the train. I quickly get changed and I rush back out of my room.

I look out the window and I see that we're pulling into the station. Finnick drags Eden and I out of the dining hall and into the train doorway. "Smile and wave. This is going to be your last chance to show off. Then you won't be spotted anywhere on television until the Victory Tour," says Finnick. Eden and I clasp our hands together and we look straight at the door.

"Good luck. I hope this goes well," I say to Eden. "Good luck to you too, but don't worry. It will go well. All we have to do is walk straight through the fenced off pathway and into the car," says Eden. But what she doesn't know is that I wasn't wishing her good luck and hoping that the next few minutes would go well. I was wishing her good luck and hoping that the rest of our lives would be safe and away from the danger of Fraux. But I know that that's not even a chance. Whatever happens after this moment will change Panem forever.

"Send them in," says Finnick. "What?", I ask. I turn around to see Finnick clipping some sort of device to his jacket. It's almost like a mini speaker. "What's that?", asks Eden. "Shush!", he orders. "The broadcast is live and I can see the riots on the screen," I hear a voice muffle from the little device. "The other U-Districts are also confirming this."

"Who's that?", I ask. But it's too late. The train doors slide open and I see the District 4 citizens attacking the Peacekeepers.

**END OF BOOK ONE.**

* * *

**Straight after I post this final chapter, I shall change the story from "in progress" to "complete". T'is a sad day indeed, but do not fear at all... It says "End of book one". Does that give you a hint to anything? I hope it does. Fine, fine! I'll tell you... I'm creating a sequel! But there's a big piece of bad news: it will not be a SYOT. Why? Because if I have to write POV's of tributes again, there won't be as much of the storytelling that I wrote in the last the last three chapters. I want to push the story up even more so I hope you give it a shot. Some of you may be disappointed and won't read it because you won't have your own characters to root for, but I hope that some of you will stay and read it. **

**Also, I want to clear something up: I was always going to let the top two tributes escape. If Ole had gotten enough votes to make him become second place, these last few chapters would have become very different. Whether it would have been Ole and Dathan as the victors or Ole and Eden, it would have COMPLETELY changing the plot. Ole started to climb the beanstalk, so if he got enough votes to live, obviously the tributes would have escaped a different way then the chopping of the beanstalk.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this FINAL CHAPTER, and if you did, please leave your thoughts in a review! What did you think about it?! What about the ending? What do you think is going to happen next in the sequel?!**

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE:**** I AM CHANGING THE TITLE OF THIS STORY! If you have any tributes on your profile with the title "The 100th Hunger Games: The Puppetmaster's Show" beside them, please change it to the new title! What is the new title? Well, you obviously know by now because you have clicked on it to come here. Why have I changed the name? So it can fit with the title of the sequel! I hope you're not annoyed by this change, but it's not too big.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this story! I enjoyed writing it so much and I want to thank everyone who read it and left positive reviews! Here's a little shout out to everyone who made a tribute!: SeungriPanda98, Vhagor, ThatDamnScottishGuy, Kkfanatic22, Heroboy2004, AsgardianGrizzly, QueenOfColours, We're All Okay, witchesalwaysreturn, DaughterofApollo7, Alecxias and gorrillaface345.**

**Thank you all so much for sending in tributes and reviewing after every chapter! Thank you! So, that's about it ladies and gentlemen... Stay tuned for... The Puppetmaster's Strings. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. And for the last time, here is the sign off. Goodbye!: Thank you all so much for reading, *breathes in* byeeeeeeeeeee :)**

**UPDATE: I have updated my profile with the blurb to the sequel! Go read it and tell me your thoughts :)**


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